On Your Porch
by kmac9
Summary: Conversations on Walt's front porch. Significant spoilers from S3-E7 "Population 25."
1. Chapter 1

Walt slowed his truck to a stop in front of his cabin. Staring out his window, he took in the visitor sitting on his front steps, a 6-pack of longnecks between her feet. He slowly stepped out of the vehicle, not moving his eyes from her as he did. He closed the door and paused, his hand still on the door handle. She looked exhausted. And something else was there, as she looked back at him, but he couldn't tell what it was. He released a breath he hadn't realized he had been holding.

Vic broke eye contact first, and glanced out at the open land before her. "If I had a view like this, I would sit out here every day. You should get one of those porch swings. You could just rock back and forth, viewing every sunrise with a cup of coffee and every sunset with a cold one." She stopped, and the silence engulfed them once again. Vic continued to look straight forward, but Walt hadn't removed his eyes from her once.

Slowly Walt began to walk towards the cabin. Without pause, he removed his hat, climbed the few steps, and sat down a couple feet from Vic's left side. Vic had not looked up at him yet, and Walt now looked at his hat, as he rotated it in his hands between his knees. She handed him a beer, which he accepted.

"I stopped by the hospital but they told me you had checked yourself out," Walt said after a few sips, not looking up. He said it as a statement, but Vic responded as if it were a question.

"They kept us overnight for observation, but by morning I couldn't take it anymore. I couldn't be…cooped up any longer. Confined. I'd had enough of that."

Walt nodded in understanding, still looking at the hat and beer in his hands. After a pause he said "I stopped by your place next, but no one was home." Again a statement. Again a response.

"I tried to get some sleep, but it was too bright, with it being daytime. Plus my house was too quiet. And my thoughts were too noisy. All stirred up."

Another pause. "I thought you might have gone to the Red Pony for some food. You probably haven't had a lot to eat in the past 36 hours."

"Thought about it, but I didn't want everyone seeing the condition of my face, and asking questions they have no right to be asking. Questions I didn't feel up to answering."

Pause. "I checked the station, thinking you might have wanted to distract yourself with work."

"Thought about that as well. But I didn't think I could handle seeing Chance's picture up on your wall. Or dealing with Branch, Ferg or Ruby, and their prying or their pity."

"I tried to call your cell, but no answer."

"Geez, were you trying to stalk me Walt?" Vic said with a brief laugh, followed by silence.

"My cell died, and I left it at home on the charger," Vic quickly added, not intending to make Walt uncomfortable. "I came out here because I thought you might be home, and would be up for joining me for a Rainier. And if you weren't, I could sit on your porch for a bit. It seemed like the one place that would help quiet my mind."

Walt finally looked up and turned his head towards Vic.

"How are you doing?" he asked quietly, his voice low, his eyes seeking out her face, taking in the cuts and bruises.

"I'm fine."

"Vic, with what you went through, you're not fine.""

"I've got a concussion. A lot of bruises. A ripped up wrist from where the handcuffs cut into me. But nothing's broken. No stiches needed."

"And Sean? How's he doing?"

A slight pause. "Pretty much the same as me. Concussion. Bruises. They messed him up quite a bit before they first brought him into the house, but he didn't end up needing stiches either."

Vic still hadn't looked up, staring at the bottle in her hand.

"Where's Sean now?"

"He went into the Newett office."

"To work?"

"No, to sign some papers," she responded. "I'm glad you finally put these steps in," she said, looking around at anything but Walt, and doing her best to change the topic.

Walt put down his beer on the step beside him, reached out and touched the bandages on her wrist, and then the cut above her eye, causing her to stop and finally look at him.

"How are you really doing?" he asked, his eyes focused on her. His concern genuine.

She stared at him, and swallowed hard. She opened her mouth, as if to say something, but stopped herself. She turned back to looking out at the view instead of at Walt.

"I'm reeling," she finally said. "But I'm dealing."

"I'm not trying to pry. And I don't pity you."

Walt saw her eyes start to water a bit, but then she started to blink, shake her head, jut out her chin, as if to push any potential tears away.

After some hesitation, her jumbled thoughts just seemed to pour out of her. "I keep seeing these images and hearing these sounds whenever I close my eyes. The crazy, intense look in Chance's eyes every time he leaned over me. The look in Sean's eyes. Fear. Then determination. And finally dismay...acceptance. The claustrophobic and helpless feeling when they put those motorcycle helmets on us. The look of that bat, coming crashing down on Sean. The awful crack of the bat as it made contact. That heart-stopping thud of the body bag hitting the floor. The realization that the body wasn't…" she suddenly stopped. Closed her eyes for a moment, an invisible wall going up. "Gorski walking out of the brush to be our escort. You, outside, stating terms for our release that you shouldn't be committing to."

"I keep thinking about what I could have done differently so as not to put any of us in that position I put us in. I keep asking these what ifs. What if I had turned down Sean's suggestion to go away for the weekend, and we just spent it from the comfort of our home? What if I had insisted that Sean put up the roof of the car? I wouldn't have been so cold and complaining about it, and Sean would have kept his eyes on the road and would have seen the bear and not crashed. What if I had ensured my cell phone battery was fully charged before leaving, and made more of an effort to find a spot where the phone got reception, instead of immediately trudging off to the nearest house to ask to use their phone? What if I had been more observant, and seen how Chance had rigged up the outside of his house? What if I had been more alert when they first invited me in, and noticed that there wasn't a phone, or seen all those pictures of you and the rest of the department up on the wall or recognized Chance sooner from the picture you have hanging at work, and got out before anything happened? And what if you weren't the man that you are, Walt? Would any other man have figured out how to reason with Chance to let us go, or have been brave enough to sacrifice himself by challenging Chance to a duel?"

Walt put down his beer and reached out again, putting his hand on her arm, just above her wrist. "You shouldn't be putting any of the blame on yourself, Vic. It was just bad luck and bad timing. And if anyone is to blame it's me. I started all of this. I killed his brother, and riled him up by going out to see him a couple weeks back in my investigation of Martha's murder."

Vic finally looked up. Their eyes both held each other's for a moment. Walt released his hold on her arm.

"Why is Sean signing papers at the office on a Saturday?" Walt asked, his eyes and hands now both occupied by his hat.

Vic took a deep breath. "He's taking that job in Australia. They asked him to come in to complete some paperwork," she responded.

Walt stopped turning the hat in his hands, and looked up, not at Vic, but out at the stretch of land in front of him. He breathed in deeply, his eyes unblinking, taking in Vic's statement.

"When are you two leaving?"

A pause. An exhale of breath. "I'm not going with him," she finally said.

Walt looked over at her, saying nothing.

"Sean and I, we haven't worked for a long time," she said as she began to peel the label of the bottle in her hands. "We thought that coming out here might enable us to start over. But our problems couldn't be solved by just moving away. Neither of us were invested enough to really solve what wasn't working between us. I initially didn't want to be here, in Wyoming, which didn't help. And Sean's work travel and my work schedule gave us excuses not to be with each other. We grew even more apart. Plus, Sean wasn't around enough to form an attachment to this place, but Absaroka County has grown on me," she paused. "And its people too," she said looking up at him, a ghost of a smile on her lips for a fleeting moment.

"Sean knew I wouldn't be up for going with him to Australia, and leaving…all this…behind. I like my job here, and I think I'm good at it. And he knew, probably even before I would admit it to myself, that we were over. So we're separating. He's heading to Australia this week. And I'm not."

They both lapsed into silence, sitting side-by-side on the top step. Two feet of space between them, but feeling closely connected in that moment.

"Thanks for looking for me Walt," Vic whispered, acknowledging more than just his recent search for her whereabouts.

Walt reached into the 6-pack and pulled two fresh bottles out. He opened a bottle and handed it to Vic, and then opened another for himself.

"The next weeks, maybe months, are going to be hard, Vic, but you will get through it. Come sit on my porch anytime you need to."


	2. Chapter 2

Walt was standing in front of his bathroom mirror, rubbing his hand across his face in an attempt to wake up. His hair was still disheveled from sleep, and his facial scruff was definitely in need of a trim. Walt contemplated giving in, and going down to see Joe for a shave and a haircut, but his rumbling stomach distracted him from making any major life decisions.

Standing in front of the fridge, door open, he realized he hadn't made it to the store this week to pick up groceries, and his breakfast options this morning were pretty slim. Even more disheartening was that he was out of coffee, and caffeine was sorely needed right now.

He heard the sound of gravel crunching outside and then brakes being applied. Walt looked down, happy to see he had actually dressed during his morning stupor. He walked to the front room, and as his right hand reached to open the door he unconsciously ran his left hand through his hair to smooth down the unruly locks.

Already seated at the top of his porch steps, Vic turned at the opening of the front door.

"Mornin' Walt, hope I didn't wake you." She looked him up and down quickly. "By the look of it, I might have."

"Vic," Walt nodded, looking down at her from just inside the open door.

"I can see you're extra chatty this morning. I brought you a coffee and thought you might like a breakfast sandwich, as well," Vic said as she held up a white paper bag.

Walt's stomach loudly rumbled in agreement.

After a moment's hesitation, Walt shut the front door, and sat down next to Vic, taking the bag and coffee cup she offered.

The two ate in a comfortable silence.

With much of his sandwich and half of his coffee consumed, and feeling a little more awake, Walt looked over at Vic. She was dressed in athletic attire, as if she was about to go out for a run. He realized he must have been staring, because when his eyes rose to her face, the expression it held made it feel like she had caught him checking her out. Which he hadn't been. Or at least hadn't meant to.

"Here to see me, here to be alone or here because you are hiding out?" Walt asked.

"Would you believe me if I said all of the above," Vic responded.

"Rough week?" he asked, even though he knew first hand it had been. When she hadn't been avoiding him, or giving short don't-bother-me-now responses, she had been getting in to heated spats with Branch. Anytime he stepped out of his office to see what the disagreement between the two of them was about, they would both clam up, tell him nothing was going on, and one or the other would head out.

"Not my best," she replied.

"I'm surprised you wanted to be around anyone this morning after avoiding us most of the week."

"It was for your own good, Walt. Better to avoid you then take it out on you," Vic said before bringing her coffee cup to her lips for a long gulp.

"Sean leave for Australia?"

"Yep. Thursday."

"How did it go?" Walt asked. Vic gave a non-committal shrug. Walt waited for her to expand further, but she didn't.

"Who are you hiding from?"

"My mother. Somehow she found out about Sean and me separating, most likely through Sean's parents, and in one quick phone call my mother managed to express her disappointment in me, and her insistence that I shouldn't be alone right now. She arrived yesterday, and I couldn't get out of the house this morning soon enough. I told her I needed to go for a run," Vic said, as she pointed out her running attire.

"Ruby said you had left work early yesterday."

"Yep. My mother arrived in the afternoon. Not only did I need to pick her up at the airport, but I had to get my mind in the right place before I did. She's a force to be reckoned with, and pretty exhausting. She has no filter, no respect for another person's privacy or space, won't take crap from anyone and can be quite dramatic about things."

Vic saw a smile appear on Walt's face as he looked into his coffee cup. "I see no resemblance. Are you sure you are related?" Walt said, as his smile grew larger.

"If you think I am bad, my mother is far worse than me."

"I'd like to see that."

"I don't know if I'd unleash her on you. And she might give you an earful. She seems to think I am responsible for Sean leaving…and that it couldn't possibly be a mutual decision, and no one individual's fault. She's looking for another culprit. One look at your handsome face and she is going to zero in on you."

Walt looked over at Vic, wondering if she had realized what she had just said, and what her statement had implied, but Vic just looked straight ahead, seemingly nonplussed, as she continued. "She would talk your ear off, and you would be like me, looking for a place to hide."

"How long is she here until?"

"Thankfully she heads back to Philly tomorrow evening. But still means I have another two days to get through."

They both found themselves staring at the view in front of them, a silence settling in.

"Walt?" Vic finally said, breaking the silence.

"Mm hmm," Walt responded, finishing up the last of his coffee.

"Why were you avoiding me these past few weeks?" she asked.

Walt turned to look at her, but said nothing, surprised by the drastic change of topic.

"Ever since Sean showed you the picture that Gorski sent him, you have been out of the office a lot, investigating things on your own, sending me off on separate assignments, or partnering me up with Branch," she said, turning towards him.

"I wouldn't say I was avoiding you." The look Vic gave him clearly indicated she didn't believe him.

"I just didn't want to be a source of trouble for your marriage. You and I know there was nothing going on between us, but you can't necessarily make someone else believe that. So better not to add fuel to the fire. Also…" Walt trailed off.

His hesitation caught Vic's attention, and she raised an eyebrow, encouraging him to continue.

"I've been investigating Martha's murder, in an attempt to prove Henry's innocence."

"Something I could be helping with," Vic interjected, placing her hand on Walt's arm. "You shouldn't have to bear this alone. You have been shouldering the burden of Martha's murder by yourself for too long."

Walt looked down at the hand on his arm, and then back up to Vic's face. "There's too much risk, too much danger, to involve you…anyone…too much in this."

"I'm not just anyone. I thought we were partners. I thought we were friends. I thought I meant…" Vic removed her hand from Walt's arm and stopped herself from expanding on her last thought.

"We are. That's not…"

Vic saw Walt's inner turmoil expressed in his eyes, and she knew she should back down a bit.

"You have put yourself in danger repeatedly for me, Walt. And I opened up and shared personal stuff with you, in regards to the situation with Gorski. Stuff that I didn't want to tell you, in fear that it might change how you saw me. But I did it because it was you that was asking."

She paused to watch Walt. "I want to be there for you, as you have been there for me," she said. "I'll be here if you want my help, or need someone to talk to. When you're ready."

Looking directly at her, Walt took Vic's words in. "And I'm here if you want to talk about Sean," Walt added.

The tension subsided. Vic smiled and Walt smiled in return. Vic stood up, gathering the empty coffee cups and sandwich wrappers, and placing them in the paper bag.

"Against my better judgment, I am bringing my mother to the Red Pony tonight. If you feel up to it, I would like you to join us. Might ask Ferg and Ruby as well," she added. "But I've warned you. Don't blame me if you feel like you've been thrown to the wolves," she said, the smile growing on her face.

Walt smiled back. "We'll have to have a signal for Henry, when we need him to come over and distract your mother by working his charm on her."

"I'm counting on you to be the charming distraction. Take some of the burden of my mother's attention off me," Vic said with a laugh. She placed her hand gently on the side of his face for a moment, before turning to step down the stairs.

"Might want to think about shaving," she said over her shoulder. "My mother would find this cowboy look way too appealing. Don't know if I could handle her flirting with you in front of me."

Walt made a mental note to stop by and see Joe at the Uptown Barber Shop that afternoon.


	3. Chapter 3

**Ugh, only two more Longmire episodes of season three.**

**Tuesdays can be so hard with the next new episode a full week away. Hopefully this new chapter will help tide you over.**

**I'm going out of town for work, so it will be a little longer before I finish writing and uploading the next new chapter.**

**Appreciate any feedback to let me know how you think the story is going.**

* * *

Walt was standing at the kitchen sink, his hands gripping the counter. The tiredness of the day had caught up with him, and he couldn't decide if he should finish the dishes, or go to bed and do them in the morning. Exhaustion won out, and he was headed to his bedroom when he heard a knock on the door.

When he opened his front door, he saw Vic standing on his porch, leaning against the railing.

"Evenin' Sheriff," Vic said, pretending to tip an invisible hat.

"Evening," Walt returned, standing in the doorframe.

"Do you know that my mother calls me The Terror?" Vic asked.

"She told me last night," Walt said with a smile.

"Not something cute, like…what do you call Cady? Punk? Not something cute, like Punk, but Vic the Holy Terror."

"Seems kind of fitting. I think she sees you as her fiercely independent daughter, who can be, what was the phrase you used yesterday? A force to be reckoned with. I think it is a term of endearment…with a little humor thrown in."

"Doesn't seem all that endearing to me."

"Oh I don't know about that," Walt said, his smile growing bigger. "I bet if I told Omar about it, he would love it. Start calling you The Terror instead of the Feisty Italian…or Vickie, which I know you're so fond of."

"Don't you dare," Vic said with a scowl and furrowed brow, but she had a hard time keeping a straight face.

Walt assessed her for a moment. "Are you drunk Vic?"

"Most definitely drunk," Vic responded with a devilish grin.

Walt scanned the yard in front of the house. "How did you get here? Did you drive?"

"You should definitely not drive when you are most definitely drunk," Vic said. "I got a ride."

"Who gave you a ride at this time of night?"

"Some dude at the Red Pony. Drove me over on his motorcycle," she said with excitement.

"You got a ride from a random stranger on a motorcycle?"

"I know. A motorcycle!"

"Motorcycle was not the part I was focusing on. Random stranger seems the more critical thing to address right now."

"He wasn't random. I'd been talking to him for a while. Henry recognized him. Seemed pretty harmless."

"How were you able to stay on a motorcycle in your condition?"

"First of all, I thought we weren't focusing on the motorcycle. And second, I said I was most definitely drunk. Not completely drunk. Most definitely drunk means you just talk a lot more. You say what needs to be said. When you are most definitely drunk you still have your shit together, enough to hold on when sitting second seat on a motorcycle." Vic paused, her eyes closing for a moment. "I think I need to sit down. Things seem to be moving around a bit more than when I got on the bike."

"Here, come inside," Walt offered, stepping aside to let her in.

"I think I'll sit down right here," Vic said, lowering herself to a sitting position on the top step. "A bit closer. Plus, if I have to throw up, I won't mess up your place."

Walt went inside for a moment, returning with a glass of water, a blanket and a bucket.

"Here, you need to hydrate," Walt said, handing her the glass. He placed the empty bucket beside her right hip, and the blanket over her shoulders.

"You were right. Chivalry is not dead," Vic said with a smile. "Not everyone will bring you a puke bucket before you need it."

Walt looked down at the top of Vic's head for a moment, and then took a seat next to her.

"Did you leave your car at the Red Pony?"

"Yep. Told Henry I would pick it up tomorrow. Not sure how I'll get over there to get it, but I'll worry about that later," Vic momentarily closed her eyes as another wave passed over.

"Take a sip of the water, it will help" Walt prompted. "What were you doing at the Red Pony?" he asked as she took a gulp from the glass.

"I was out celebrating my freedom. Sean's gone. My mother left earlier this evening…" Vic turned towards Walt, halting when she saw the concern on his face. She closed her eyes and breathed deeply, before looking out at the vastness before her. "I didn't want to be home alone," she admitted.

Walt followed her line of sight, able to make little out beyond the road.

"Is that why you had motorcycle dude drop you off here? You didn't want to go home to an empty house?"

"I miss Sean," Vic said suddenly.

Walt grew still.

"I don't mean I miss Sean, the person," she clarified. "I miss the idea of Sean, my husband. Someone to come home to. Vent to. Catch up on your day with. Someone who'll call you on your crap. Someone who'll let you put your head on their lap when you've had a bad day. Someone who'll hold your hair back when you need to puke. Someone you can count on."

Vic paused for a bit. "Although if I am being honest, Sean, my actual husband, didn't do much of that lately."

Walt watched Vic closely.

"Did my mother talk to you about Sean? I can't tell if she thought it was more of a mistake that I couldn't make the marriage last, or that I married him in the first place."

Walt looked over at her, trying to assess how drunk she really was.

"We didn't talk about Sean. She asked me about your work here. She talked a little about your father and brothers. But mostly she shared stories about you. "

"Great. I can only imagine what some of those were. When I am thinking a little more clearly I will need to determine if I need to do any damage control. My mother can leave a large wake."

"Nothing too damaging. Enlightening, yes. But nothing that could be used against you as blackmail," Walt said, a small smile appearing.

She looked over at him, her face momentarily unguarded. "Sorry I'm such a mess." She looked back at the glass of water in her hands, her lower arms resting on her thighs.

"Don't be sorry," Walt responded. Walt stared at his interlaced hands, contemplating his next words.

"For almost a year after Martha died, I was a mess. I kept so much of it bottled up inside me, and used alcohol to dull the pain. I buried it deep. Hid it from Cady. Hid most of it from Henry. You are further ahead than I was at this stage. You are leaning on those who care about you. Feeling weak and vulnerable, letting someone else in, can be hard, but it will also bring you strength, in the end. Your mother may frustrate you, but she loves you, is so proud of you, and wants to be there for you. You are not used to needing others, and she is not used to being needed. You've been so strong and independent for so long, you are both just a little rusty at it. But it will come back to you. You were her little girl at one point."

Vic was staring at Walt, slightly open-mouthed.

"What?" Walt asked.

"You always surprise me when you share something personal. I wasn't expecting it."

"Your most definitely drunk state must be contagious," Walt said with a smile.

At that, Vic bent over and threw up in the bucket. Suddenly she felt Walt pull her hair back, and then hesitantly place a comforting hand on her shoulder. He handed her a handkerchief when she seemed to be done. Vic wiped her mouth, took a sip of water and then spit it out in the bucket.

She turned towards Walt.

"Sorry about that. And thanks." Vic then put the glass down, and closed her eyes. After a moment, with her eyes still closed, she lay her head in Walt's lap. "I can always count on you, it seems," she whispered. Her breathing slowed, and she drifted to sleep. Walt, on the other hand, felt wide awake.


	4. Chapter 4

**Although I like Branch's story line during the third season, I wanted this conversation to go in a different direction, so I've chosen to ignore it (at least for now).**

* * *

Vic was seated on Walt's front steps, leaning back, her lower arms resting on the step two above the one she was sitting on, her head slightly back, eyes closed, taking in the last of the day's sun. Although she heard a vehicle approaching, she stayed in her position, as if trying to hold on to the moment a bit longer.

She heard a car door close, shaking her from her thoughts, and opened her eyes to see Cady approaching.

"Vic," Cady said, looking up at the cabin and then back at Vic. "Is my Dad home?"

"No. I'm waiting for him," Vic said, sitting up.

"Do you have a case?"

"No…no case. Just stopped over because I wanted to talk to him, outside the office. You know how hard it is to track Walt down, with him and his annoying refusal to carry a cell phone." A pause. "Oh I'm sorry, I didn't realize you had plans with him tonight," Vic added, finally noticing the pizza box and paper bag in Cady's arms.

"Oh, no, we don't. He isn't expecting me. I was just over at the Red Pony with Henry, and he suggested I bring some dinner to Dad, guessing that his refrigerator is likely pretty empty."

Vic let out a laugh, remembering the sight of Walt's empty fridge that morning. Upon waking up on Walt's couch, parched and hungover, Vic had made her way to his kitchen looking for something to drink. Other than some cans of Rainier and a few other items, Walt's refrigerator had been pretty bare. When Cady raised her eyebrow, Vic realized she had laughed out loud.

"How's Henry doing?" Vic asked, changing the topic. She didn't get to talk to him much on either night she'd hung out at the Red Pony the past weekend.

"He's beyond frustrated. Feels the ankle monitor keeps him on a tight leash."

"I've been a little pre-occupied by things of late, but I'll make sure I stop by this week to say hello," Vic said.

"Oh I am so sorry Vic. My Dad told me what happened to you on the compound with those survivalists. I'm glad to know that you're alright, and seem to be almost healed. How are you doing, dealing with what you went through?"

Vic looked down at her feet and clasped hands.

"I'm sorry. That's likely too personal. You're probably sick of being asked how you're doing anyway," Cady apologized. She looked over at Vic, who continued to look down at her hands.

"I don't want to intrude…but I hope you have someone to talk to about what you've gone through. My Dad seems so strong all the time, but sometimes he's putting on a front to mask the hurt or pain he is dealing with on the inside. He doesn't share what he is going through with others very easily…he thinks it's a burden we can't handle...or shouldn't have to handle. And it ends up eating him up. I hope you are turning to those around you for support."

Vic looked up at Cady. "I am," she said. "Thanks." She looked Cady up and down and noticed how tired she looked. "How are YOU doing? I know you have a lot on your plate. How is the case going?"

"We've hit a dead-end. Despite Henry's suspicions of Malachi and Darius we have no proof, and we're struggling to find a new lead. Some days I feel so helpless. Henry's fate is in my hands, and I could fail him…and my father. I've never done this type of work before, and if Henry could afford it, I would be recommending someone with a whole lot more experience to represent him. But he doesn't have that option, and I saw no other choice but to take on the case myself."

"I think it is an amazing and brave thing you are doing, Cady. I don't know all the details, since Walt has been so frickin' tight-lipped about everything, but I can't imagine stepping up the way you have."

"You would do the same, Vic, from what I know about you. Dad says you are an incredibly loyal, determined and protective person when it comes to those you care about."

"Walt said that?" Vic asked, taking in Cady's words.

"As you know, he's a pretty private person, but he actually talks about you, and Henry, and others he respects. Probably, partly, to avoid talking about himself, put also because if you are in Walt's circle of trust, you're in," she said with a smile. The corners of Vic's lips turned upwards in response.

A sobering look crossed Cady's eyes, and her smile faltered for a moment.

"No matter how it turns out, Henry and Walt are going to be extremely grateful for everything you've done, Cady. You're in Walt's circle of trust too. Plus, Walt is a pretty tenacious man when it comes to investigating an injustice, and he's pretty damn fired up about Henry's situation. As Walt's doggedness is likely genetic, between the two of you, you'll get another lead soon and the proof you need to prove Henry's innocence. So don't give up.

Cady looked over at Vic and smiled. "Thanks."

They sat in silence for a moment, both looking at the land that stretched out before them. "Speaking of my Dad being a very private person, is he seeing anyone right now?" Cady asked.

"Not that I know of," Vic stuttered, flustered by both the change of topic and the particular topic at hand.

"It's just that my Dad doesn't talk to me much about things like that, and it seems like I'm the last to know," Cady said, looking over at Vic. "With Lizzie, I ended up finding out from her that they were dating. I just didn't know if there was someone new. I think if it was someone really important to him he would tell me about her, or at least I hope he would, but otherwise..."

They both heard the sound of a vehicle at the same time, and looked up to see Walt's truck coming down the road. Walt slowed as he approached the cabin, his head turned towards the two women, a questioning look upon his face. He came to a stop, cut the ignition and stepped out of the truck hesitantly.

"Hey Walt," Vic said, happy to put a halt to Cady's current line of questioning. Walt nodded in greeting.

"Hi Dad," Cady said smiling. "I come bearing food."

"Hey Punk," he greeted Cady.

"I should head out," Vic said, making a move to stand.

"No, don't," Cady said, turning back to Vic. "Dad and I didn't have plans, and there is more than enough pizza for the three of us."

Vic hesitated as she looked over at Walt, who seemed a bit uncomfortable. "I can't stay," she said. "The two of you should get in some father-daughter bonding time, anyway.

"Well I know that you came here to talk to Dad about something, so I'm going to take this inside, re-heat it and get us some plates, to give the two of you a chance to chat." Cady bounded up the steps, leaving Walt and Vic to themselves.

"It was nothing important….the reason I stopped by, I mean," Vic said after looking over her shoulder and confirming that Cady was out of earshot. "I just wanted to thank you for putting up with me last night, and letting me sleep it off on your couch. Sorry I snuck off this morning before you woke up. I was in serious need of a shower, a change of clothes and some food. Borrowed your truck to get to my place…well you already know that, since Ferg came and picked you up this morning. You were out on a case when I finally made it in to the office, so I haven't been able to thank you in person."

Walt just nodded in return.

"And I didn't mean to intrude upon you and Cady this evening. Hope you are not uncomfortable with me being here. With me hanging out with Cady while we waited for you."

Walt stood silently for a moment, and then opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by Cady yelling out.

"No way! Henry is never going to believe this. I'm going to have to send him a picture."

"What are you talking about Cady?" Walt asked, loud enough for Cady to hear.

"Your fridge actually has food in it. A decent amount. I'm impressed," Cady responded.

Walt looked quizzically towards the kitchen, and then turned his gaze on Vic.

"Your fridge was pretty damn pitiful when I saw its contents this morning," Vic said. "I just picked up a few items before I came over. You had to deal with my drunk ass last night. I thought it was the least I could do to thank you."

"You didn't need to do that."

"It was no big deal. I was picking up things for myself anyway," Vic said, shrugging it off.

With that, Vic stood up and made her way down the steps towards her truck. Walt hesitated a moment and then followed her. After she opened the driver side door, he held it and then closed it once she was in.

Vic looked up at him as she started the vehicle.

"Thanks again, for everything. I hope I didn't embarrasses myself too bad or offend you in any way last night," she said through the open window. "Some of it is a bit of a blur."

"You were fine," Walt said, his eyes softening, a slight smile appearing. "And thank you for the groceries," he added. "Very thoughtful."

Walt's smile was contagious, and a similar one broke out on Vic's face. After a moment, Vic broke eye contact as she looked down to put the car in reverse.

Vic looked back up at Walt, and then called out to Cady. "'Bye Cady." She then turned her head to back her truck out. After pulling out, she looked back towards Walt, gave a slight wave, and drove off.

Walt walked back to the stairs, and sat down next to Cady, who had just emerged with their dinner.

"I think you should find someone like Vic."

Walt blinked, and felt the heat rising in his face.

"What?"

"I don't mean Vic herself, she's obviously married, but someone you get along with as well as you do with her. You seemed like yourself with her just now, and at ease while you two talked. I've seen you interact similarly with her before, while you seem more uncomfortable or indifferent around most other women in social situations. Vic lets you be yourself, and doesn't expect you to be anything else. But she'll also call you on your crap, when it needs to be called out. You need someone like that."

Walt didn't say a word, looking off in the direction Vic's truck had gone.

"Punk, why are you trying to get me to find someone new? How can you be working on Henry's case, which involves your Mom's murder, at the same time you are trying to match me up with another woman? You loved your mother. Why do you want me to move on, and let go of her?"

"Moving towards someone else doesn't mean you have to let completely go of Mom. I just want you to be happy. Mom would want you to be happy. As you said, Mom's death was like a cancer, and it ate you up inside. You need someone who can help you let go. Not let go of Mom, but let go of the darkness that has built up inside you since Mom's death. Find joy again."

Walt looked over at Cady.

"Thanks for looking out for me, Punk. I'll try to keep that in mind."

"And if you're open to other advice, let's talk about the shape that this cabin is in. The no-cabinet-doors look in the kitchen has been going on a little too long, don't you think?" Cady began.

Walt smiled as Cady rattled on about his lack of progress on the cabin, despite his earlier promise to her to complete the work. Between Cady and Vic, and the way they made him take stock of his life, the two women were going to be his undoing.


	5. Chapter 5

"So are you going to tell me what's going on? Why you needed to get drunk this evening?" Vic looked over at Walt from the driver's seat of her truck. "Is it because Henry set the Red Pony on fire, and you feel responsible?" Vic's question did not elicit a response.

"Is it because you feel you're at a dead end now that you know Darius couldn't have been responsible?" Walt looked over at Vic. "Yeah, I know Malachi told Henry that Darius was in Connecticut at the time. Cady told me." Walt turned back to looking out the window at the road before them.

"Come on Walt. You have been sitting here silent the whole drive. If you're not going to involve me in the investigation, you've got to at least keep me informed. I gave up my evening of not doing anything, and sitting around feeling sorry for myself, to come pick up your drunk ass, after you've been sitting on a stool at the Red Pony all night, feeling sorry for yourself," Vic said with a smile, hoping some humor would coax something out of him.

"Is it the investigation, or the memories the investigation is invoking? Are you thinking of Martha? Is that what triggered this?" Vic tried again, looking over at him. Walt shut his eyes.

"You told me before, you've got to talk about it. You can't bottle it up, bury it down low." Vic's truck hit a small bump, and both passengers were jostled. Walt opened his eyes, but continued to stare out in front of him, saying nothing.

They continued to drive in silence, with Vic glancing over at Walt from time to time. When they pulled in front of Walt's cabin, Vic shut off the ignition and turned in her seat to more fully look at Walt to address him. But before she could say a word, he un-did his seat belt and stepped out of the vehicle.

"God damn-it Walt...," Vic spat out. Vic opened her door to step out, but was yanked to a stop, having forgotten to un-do her seat belt. "Walt, wait," she yelled out as she attempted to release the belt's lock. Finally freeing herself, Vic launched herself from the vehicle, slammed her door, and ran for the front steps, hoping to cut Walt off before he got inside.

Walt stood in front of the door, staring at it, but not attempting to open it.

"Walt. Come on. What's going on? Share what's burdening you." Silence. "Geez, I thought we were past this shit. That you were making progress letting others in. Letting me in." Silence.

"If something happened, you can tell me. If it's Martha, you can tell me. Don't retreat into your shell. You've been telling me I need to lean on others. You need to listen to your own advice. Why are you hurting?"

Vic stared at Walt across the porch, her arms crossed. A stray strand of hair fell in front of her eyes, and she angrily tucked it behind her ear.

"You're seriously going to stand there and ignore me? Would Martha have put up with this crap?" Something seemed to shake Walt out of his stupor, and he looked over at Vic, his eyes finding focus.

"So it IS Martha. Is it a particular memory that's haunting you? Or are you missing her, and the loss is especially painful tonight?" Vic asked, her voice softening. Walt eyes turned down to the wood slats of the porch they were standing on.

"Fine. Go inside. Dwell on your loss and sorrow. Go drink some more to dull your pain. I'm trying to be your friend, but clearly you don't want me to."

Walt didn't budge. "Where are your keys?" Vic asked.

Again, no response.

Vic leaned in, and felt the front pockets of his jeans. Finding the keys, she reached in and took them out.

"Here you go…" she said irately, shoving them into his hands. The keys fell to the ground.

After looking up at Walt and seeing no attempt made by him to retrieve them, Vic bent over and picked them up. Standing up, she put the key in the lock, turned it and pushed the door open.

As she stepped back to give Walt room to enter, he grabbed her elbow, and held her at arms-length, looking at her, but not saying a word.

Confused, Vic looked up at him, attempting to read his face.

Walt tugged her elbow, pulling her towards him. He leaned in suddenly and kissed her, holding her pressed up against him.

Vic leaned in further and responded. Her hands moved up to grip his upper arms. But then she tasted the beer on his breath, and it registered. She pulled back.

"You're drunk," she whispered. She stepped back further, a mixture of hurt, longing and confusion reflecting back at him through her eyes. "And you can't kiss me when you are thinking about her. When you are feeling sorry for yourself and I just happen to be the nearest one around."

A pained look crossed over Walt's face, but still, he said nothing. Vic's eyes began to well up, with tears threatening to spill. Walt looked away.

Getting no response from him, Vic pulled herself together, wiped her hand across her eyes and then turned to leave.

As she stepped up to her truck, pulling open the door, she heard Walt say "Do you want to know the other reason I haven't involved you in my investigation of Martha's murder?"

Vic paused at the door of her truck, but did not move.

"Guilt," Walt said.

Vic remained standing just outside the open door to her truck, not turning towards him. Not making it easy for him.

"My friends. My family. They keep pushing me to move on with my life. And every time I take a step forward I end up taking a step back." Walt's voice faltered, grew soft. He paused.

"I have these moments," he started again, the words coming out slowly, but more steadily. "When my relationship with Cady grows stronger. When she's made me proud with something she's done. And then I feel guilty that I am experiencing these things without Martha. And I step back. You convince me to call Lizzie. And I do. And then I feel like I've betrayed Martha, and what we had. And I retreat. I can't seem to let anyone new in. Because that would mean that I am moving on. Letting go. Cady says that it is simply moving towards someone else, not letting go, but it doesn't feel like that. When I move forward, my memories of Martha and our time together start to fade. And I feel guilty. And step back. Change course. Undermine my own efforts."

Vic still hadn't turned toward Walt. She didn't want to stop him.

"So I deny myself happiness. A future. I live in each moment, anchored to the past. But somehow…despite the walls I have erected to protect myself, the blinders I've put on, the back-pedaling I have done, somehow you have slipped through the cracks. Embedded yourself in my life." He paused. His eyes willing Vic to turn around. To read her face. But she remained still. Her back towards him.

"I called you a force to be reckoned with. And you are. You have this…vitality. This tenacity. This strength. And it's contagious. It props me up. Makes me bold. I have these moments where I…start to think about what it would be like to move forward. That it just might be possible."

"But I live too much in my head. Where it is too easy to second guess my decisions, to doubt…everything. And I remind myself that you are my deputy, and I am your boss. That you are significantly younger than I am. Just a few years older than Cady. Your marriage set a boundary for me. A boundary that I would not let myself cross. And it worked. Most of the time. And any time the boundary lines blurred, I stepped back. Took it out on you. Sent you home, put you on other cases, clammed up. And when you complained about your marriage, about Sean, and sought my input, I remained aloof. Distant. I wouldn't be the distraction for you that you were for me."

Vic turned around, looking up at him, but stayed where she was standing.

Walt's breath hitched, but he carried on, his pace still unhurried, belying the increased beat of his heart. "I knew you would be an asset to Henry's case if I were to include you in the investigation. But that meant the lines would blur. That I would be bringing to light information about Martha and stirring up memories of her on one side, and working alongside of you on the other. I felt guilty. Guilty that I considered it. Guilty that I wanted it. That I felt something…new. For someone else." Vic did not break eye contact, her eyes urging him to continue.

"And even though I kept you out of the loop, every time I learned something new, I wanted to tell you. I wanted to pick your brain. I wanted to lean on your strength. Draw from your energy. But I held it in. One step forward. One step back," Walt said, his eyes boring into hers.

"Since learning the truth about Darius' whereabouts on the night of Miller Beck's death, Henry has not been able to think clearly. So I thought about bringing you in to help. All day I've wrestled with it. At home. At the office. In my truck. At the bar. And I sat there on the stool at the Red Pony with this ache. I wanted to ask Martha if it would be alright. To involve you in her life. In her death. And a moment of boldness built up inside me and I decided that I would do it. I would call you. Involve you. But then I got a look at myself in the mirror. And saw the old, broken man looking back at me. And I started to drink. And drink. To dull the ache…to prevent myself from calling you…from involving you in this mess that could suck you under, like it has with me and Henry."

"But funny thing, alcohol. It can dull some things, and heighten others. Tonight it seems to have removed the filter that usually holds back my words. Words seem to be tumbling out of my mouth, and I can't stop them. My voice seems foreign to me, but the words ring true. The moment I think them, they escape. And alcohol has also removed the wall I've put up that usually prevents me from doing things I want to do. I've kissed you. And have probably said too much. I've screwed things up between you and me. Whatever this is."

Vic walked across the lawn and up the stairs, pausing a few feet from his side.

"You didn't screw up, Walt" she said. He maintained eye contact, and she took a step forward.

"And you're not an old man. You're not broken. You're strong. You've been through so much, and yet you have enough strength for all of us. You're the strongest man I know."

Walt blinked, almost in disbelief that Vic was in front of him, saying the words she was saying.

"You don't need to let go of Martha. She is part of who you are. She will always be a part of you."

She took another step forward, standing in front of him. The silence engulfed them. It sat between them. And rolled off of them. They both wanted to break it wide open, but didn't know if they were brave enough to be the one to do it. And then suddenly the silence was shattered by the ring of Walt's home phone. Neither of them moved. Or broke eye contact. Or maybe even breathed. After a few rings, the answering machine's outgoing message kicked in, and then they heard Henry's voice through the crack where the front door had been left ajar.

"Hello Walt. I am just calling to check that you arrived home safely. Vic seemed a little ticked off when she picked you up, and I did not know if you would make it home in one piece. I will try again later if I do not hear back from you."

Silence.

"That was your voice," Vic stuttered.

Walt stared back.

"You changed your outgoing message. That was your voice on the machine," she said.

Silence. A breathtaking smile that reached her eyes, and spread to his.

"I'm trying to take two steps forward," Walt said, promise in his voice.


	6. Chapter 6

Vic sat in her truck, looking out her driver-side window. Her hand was on the door handle, but she hadn't brought herself around to opening it yet, despite having pulled up five minutes ago. Finally, she opened the door and stepped out. She was making her way up the steps when something caught her eye. A thermos, sitting on the top step. She picked it up and confirmed that it was full. She raised it to her nose and smelled the coffee inside. She considered the thermos for another moment and then put it back in its spot on the step.

Vic raised her fist to knock, but paused just as her hand was about to hit the outer wood edge of the screen door. Her hand remained frozen mid-air as she breathed in. And exhaled. And then breathed in again. With a large exhale, she rapped on the door. She stepped back and hooked both of her thumbs in the pockets of her jeans, her weight shifting from one front to the other.

When her knocking elicited no response, she looked to the side of the cabin to confirm what she already knew. Walt's car was parked in its usual spot. As she raised her hand to knock again, the inner door suddenly opened.

For a moment neither moved as their eyes connected. Walt broke the stillness by stepping forward and opening the screen door. Vic took a small step back to give the door room to swing open. She scanned the length of him, realizing he had just stepped out of the shower. His hair was still wet, and he had jeans and a blue t-shirt on, but bare feet.

"Good morning," Vic offered.

"Good morning," Walt responded, his voice a little gravelly.

A pause. "I just wanted to stop by to see if you are ok…if we are ok…after last night," Vic said, finally breaking the silence.

"I should…uh…I should be the one asking you that. After putting you through that verbal onslaught last night," Walt said in response. "Are you ok?"

Vic paused, keeping eye contact with Walt. "I'm good. Tired, but good."

'And are we ok? Did I…scare you off?"

"Nope," Vic said with a half-smile. "I don't scare easily." Vic took Walt in. "Did you get some sleep? How are you feeling?"

He smoothed the hair on the back of his head, glancing inside the cabin for a moment. "Exhaustion and alcohol won out eventually. I passed out on the couch at some point. It's been a slow morning. Still recovering."

"You had a teensy bit of alcohol last night…and it's probably still making its way out of your system," Vic said with a laugh. "Plus, you're not used to talking as much as you did," Vic said, her smile growing larger. "I don't think I've heard that many consecutive words come out of your mouth…ever."

"It was…unusual for me," Walt agreed.

They both looked at each other for a moment, and then Vic dropped her eyes, turning slightly.

"You left your thermos of coffee out on the front steps," she said, stepping to the side to enable Walt to see the object to which she was referring.

"That's your coffee," Walt responded.

"My coff…how did you know I was coming over. Am I that predictable?" Vic said, turning back towards Walt.

"Uh...I was going to bring it over to your place once I…umm…finished getting dressed, but put it out here in the off chance you beat me to it."

Vic smiled, her eyes returning to the thermos. "Thanks," she said warmly.

A pause. "Let me go grab my cup of coffee and I can join you out here." Walt headed to the kitchen and returned with a full mug.

Vic had taken a seat on the top step, and Walt sat down next to her. She brought the thermos to her lips, and then closed her eyes as she swallowed. "Just the way I like it," she said softly. Walt looked down at the coffee in his hands and gave a small smile.

The two sat in quiet contentment for a while, drinking their coffee and gazing off into the distance.

"My mother called me this morning," Vic started. "Complete surprise. We're not really the chat-on-the-phone types. After her recent visit, I didn't expect to be hearing from her for a while. And usually it's my father that calls. But she said she just wanted to check in. See how I was…adjusting. It was awkward…but kind of nice. After a bit, my father and a couple of my brothers jumped on the call as well. So it wasn't awkward for too long."

"How is everyone?" Walt asked.

"They're good," Vic confirmed. "I think my brothers wanted to ask me a bunch of questions…and say some insulting things about Sean…but seemed to be holding back. Not sure if my mother gave them a warning lecture beforehand. They did start hounding me about moving back to Philly…my brothers, that is. Now that the Gorski situation seems to be resolved, and Sean's job here isn't a factor, they're trying to convince me I would be happier at home."

A pause. "You should do whatever makes you happy," Walt said softly, looking straight out in front of him. "If that means going home…" he trailed off, glancing down at his hands.

Vic peered over at Walt, quizzically. As her eyes slid off his face she noticed the small wound on his arm, showing at the edge of his t-shirt sleeve. The memento from the recent duel, well on its way to healing, but still red. She raised her hand and gently placed her fingers on it, causing Walt to look up.

"Does it still hurt?"

"Not really," Walt said, his eyes looking down to his arm and then up to her face. "Just another scar to add to the mix."

Vic continued to gently caress the area around the cut. Walt seemed a little hypnotized by the movement.

"I still can't believe you did that for me. The duel. You really are a cowboy."

"It's my job to serve and protect."

"That was well above and beyond your sheriff responsibilities," Vic said, removing her fingers from his arm and looking up.

Walt continued to look at her. "The situation called for it."

Vic had other questions to ask him. About that night. About the other scars on his body. But she thought Walt might not be ready to discuss them yet, and decided against asking them, for now. She looked back at Walt's arm, and then slid her eyes down to his feet, bare against the wooden step they were resting on.

"I like this 'Casual Walt' look you've got going this morning, by the way. I haven't seen it before. It's not your typical look."

"I've got a look?" Walt asked.

"It's not your usual uniform. Tucked in button-down shirt. Belt. Boots."

She raised her hand to his head. "And I don't know if I've seen you with disheveled, wet hair before…" but then stopped and withdrew her hand as she suddenly remembered the night Lizzie stopped by the cabin. When she was sleeping on Walt's couch. Which Lizzie didn't take too kindly to and let it be known. Walt clearly remembered as well, as a slight blush touched his cheeks.

"Anyway, I like this relaxed look. Looks good on you," Vic said, her attention returning to her coffee, which she brought to her lips. Silence settled in as Walt did the same.

"I never thanked you last night…for picking me up at the Red Pony. You've had to do that for me before, so I apologize for the inconvenience, once again."

"It wasn't a problem. Other than you being a pain in the ass and not talking to me the whole drive."

"I think I more than made up for that later," Walt said.

"True."

"And again, sorry for that. I shouldn't have done that to you. Holding that back for so long, and then letting it spill out all at once. I could have handled it better. Not just unleashed it all at once."

Again, Vic wanted to delve deeper. About some of the things Walt had talked about last night. But she didn't know if she was ready to discuss them yet. Ready to put them out in the open. Admit to him…to herself…how she felt…what she wanted.

"Alcohol can loosen your lips. Looks like I know what to do if you start clamming up on me again. Slip a little something in your morning coffee or your ice tea at lunch…and unleash the inner-Walt," she said instead, hoping humor would distract them both.

Walt half-smiled. "I'm not sure you could handle a constant barrage of the inner-Walt," he added, looking down at his empty mug.

"I think it is good to get a glimpse into that unquiet mind of yours every now and then. Maybe more often than every now and then," she said as she gazed out before her.

Walt suddenly looked over at Vic, the movement causing her to look over at him, their eyes connecting. He didn't say anything at first, but it was clear that something was on his mind. Vic's brow furrowed as she tried to read him.

"I do want you to be happy, Vic. So if that means going home…" Walt said quietly. "But I'd like you to know that I want you to stay."

Vic's and Walt's eyes stayed connected. The creases on her forehead eased. A smile broke slowly on her face. "I am home," she responded.


	7. Chapter 7

Walt tightened the grip on the handle of the axe, and then relaxed his fingers. He shifted the placement of his hands, getting a feel for the weight. Anticipating the motion. He moved his feet shoulder width apart, and extended his arms, the head of the axe resting on the top of the piece of wood to find his distance. He pulled back the axe and slid his right hand up the handle, close to the blade, leaving the left hand near the base. He lifted the head of the axe upwards with his right-hand, slid the hand down to the bottom, a little above his left, and then let the weight of the axe blade pull it down, ending in a satisfying split.

He moved the pieces to the side, adding to a pile he had already split that evening, and then placed the next piece of wood on the chopping block. As he lifted the head of the axe again, he heard a vehicle pulling in behind him. He completed the motion he had started, and then heard the door of the vehicle open and someone step out. After balancing the pieces at the top of the pile, he turned around to face his visitor.

"Walt."

"Henry," Walt nodded back, wiping a few beads of sweat from his brow.

Henry looked upon Walt for a moment, and then closed his eyes, taking a deep breath in.

"I have missed this."

"You seem to be enjoying your…freedom. Hitting the wide open road these past couple weeks."

"After months of being locked up and then tethered, I could not be trapped any longer. But I am back, and decided one of the first things I needed to do was see my dear friend Walt."

Walt watched Henry for a moment, and then returned to face the wood pile. "Any particular reason you stopped by? Some wisdom you came here to share, or did you just miss my sunny face?" Walt asked over his shoulder. He picked up another piece of wood and placed in on the block.

Henry moved to Walt's side, watching his movement. He then glanced over at the split wood pile Walt had amassed.

"You have been doing a lot of thinking this evening, I see."

"What?"

"You tend to split wood when you have some thinking to do. By the size of your pile, it looks like you have been at it a while. Some serious contemplating must be going on."

Walt looked up at Henry, and then down to the axe in his hands.

"Just the usual amount," he said, before lifting the head of the axe upwards, and completing the motion.

Henry looked at Walt with a raised eyebrow, his skepticism clearly evident.

Without saying a word, Henry made his way up the front steps and into the cabin. Walt set up the next piece of wood, and then looked up at the front door when Henry hadn't re-appeared. He returned his focus to the wood, lined up and set his stance, and then swung. He repeated the motion with several more pieces of wood. As he moved the most recent set of pieces aside, Henry returned, two cans of Rainier in his hands. He offered one to Walt, who leaned the axe against the wood pile, and then accepted the beer. Both men stood in silence as they popped the lids and took their first sip.

"I have missed this too," Henry said, after a moment.

"Yep," responded Walt.

The men continued to drink in silence. Henry then walked back to the steps, sat down, put his beer to the side, and took out a piece of paper. Walt glanced over at him, but said nothing, bringing the beer back up to his lips.

"Walt, my time away has given me great time to think."

"I knew you came over to impart your wisdom."

"It is not wisdom I am here to share. It is clarity. There is a path we are on, and if we do not change our ways, there is a ledge we are both facing, with nothing there to stop us from going over. I am here so we can both start getting our act together. Before it is too late."

"Too late for what?"

"To enjoy this life, and the blessings we have been given. That so easily can be taken from us."

Walt peered at Henry over the lid of his can, taking another swig.

"How long were you out in the direct sun these past couple of weeks? You may be suffering from some heat stroke, or something," Walt suggested.

Henry choose to ignore Walt. He pulled a pair of reading glasses out, and placed them on the bridge of his nose.

"I have put some of my better thoughts down, which I will now present to you. And Walter," Henry said looking up at his friend. "I am serious about this. I want you to listen."

"It must be serious if you wrote it down."

"That is precisely why I wrote it down. I want us to be accountable, and having this documented will serve as a formal reminder of our commitment…"

"Your commitment," Walt interjected.

"Our commitment," Henry emphasized. "In addition, I anticipated that you would either try to disrupt my train of thought, or distract me with your skeptical silence, so writing it down will ensure that I cover what I came here to say."

Walt took another sip, all the sign Henry needed to continue.

"As I was saying, we need to get our act together. First, we need to get our houses in order. I need to re-build the Red Pony. Not only that, but I need to think about the future of the Red Pony. Identify who I can hand it over to or sell it to down the road. So someone like Malachi does not get ahold of it. I have given this some thought, and have decided to give it to Cady, if she wants it. She does not need to manage it day-to-day, she can find someone to do that, but I would like my goddaughter to have it."

Walt said nothing, but was clearly listening.

"I also need to ensure that I am financially sound. Not just for Cady's sake when I hand it over, but for my own. So that nothing like what happened to me these past months happens again." Henry paused, thinking back to the $40,000 that was taken from his safe, and the struggles he had to fund his defense.

"You need to get your house in order, too, Walt. You need to get your department back in shape. Make a decision, one way or another, about Branch, and then either move forward or move on. Start treating Ferg like the legit deputy that he is, and not an errand boy at your beck and call. And start grooming Vic to be your replacement someday. We both need to be thinking about the future." Henry looked up at Walt, who was looking down at the wood pile.

"I know," Walt conceded.

"You also need to get this house in order," Henry said, looking back into the cabin. "I see that you have made no progress working on this place since I was last here, which was months ago. You have lived here more than three years, but you would not know that based on its condition. It is unacceptable for a man your age to live this way. And it stalls the progress in other areas of your life, living in a house that is just a shell. Not whole."

Walt continued to avoid Henry's eyes, kicking the ground before him. "Other than from you and Cady, I haven't really heard any complaints."

"That is because no one else has been here."

"Lizzie was here."

"And to this day it perplexes me how you were not mortified to let her see your place after seeing her amazing house. But it shows you how desperate that woman was for your attention and affection, that she would even step in that front door, let alone stay the night."

Walt looked up at Henry.

"Vic told me," Henry said with a shrug of the shoulders.

"I bet you did not even let Lizzie use the bathroom," Henry added.

"Of course I did. I…I just told her I was remodeling," Walt said, dropping his eyes again.

"So is that your plan? Kick a woman to the curb once she has been in your place so she does not clue in to the fact that you are not remodeling? That your cabin, and your life, are just perpetually on hold?"

"Vic has been here more than once," Walt countered.

"When you are seeking refuge from a stalker or crashing after too much to drink, you are not too particular about your accommodations. I have heard her make a few jabs about your decorating, however, so I think Vic would agree with me."

"I told Cady I plan on finishing it. And I do."

"Do not plan on it. Get it done," Henry said, looking directly at Walt, and then back down at the paper.

"Next, we both need to work on our attitude. Our mindset. Our focus. We have been fixated on justice, and then revenge, for so long, we could not see anything else. That lens shaded everything. I stopped trusting in others, unable to take the help they offered. You have shut others out, unwilling to let them in. This is not a healthy way to live. It will tear us each apart, if we continue this way."

No comment or acknowledgement from Walt. But no disagreement either.

"And finally, we need to let love in."

Walt looked up at Henry. "You seem to let love in all the time."

"I admit that my head has been turned quite often by the ladies. But many of them were not serious relationships, and those that were, were with the wrong women. It is time for me to make better choices. And it is time for you to make a choice."

"You've been telling me to start dating for a while now. This is not new. I tried with Lizzie. It didn't take."

"I do not mean back in the dating pool. I mean getting serious about finding someone to love again. A serious relationship with a future."

Walt looked down at the beer in his hands.

Henry paused, watching Walt as his words sunk in.

"How is progress going with Vic?" Henry finally asked, breaking the silence.

Walt's head whipped up. "My progress with Vic?" he asked.

"I am not blind, Walter. I see how you act around each other. How you both look at each other. The things you allow her to do, or say, where you would not allow anyone else the same privilege. When you both came into the Red Pony all bloody, you let her in close, as she wiped away the blood at your ear. You would have dismissed Cady's help if she would have tried to do that, and there is no way you would have let any other woman that close to you. But you did not even bat an eye when Vic stepped in."

Walt said nothing.

"I can see that mind of yours churning through all the reasons you should not get romantically involved with Vic," Henry observed.

"There's the fact that we work together," Walt started.

"Working together means you have spent a great deal of time together, and already know what it is like to be around each other at your best, and your worst. You have developed respect for her and trust in her, which I know are so important for those you let close to you. I think working together is a good thing for you. You were able to get to know her before developing feelings for her," Henry offered.

Walt remained silent.

"If you try, I think there is a good chance a relationship with Vic will work out. As I said, I have seen how you are with each other. How you make each other better. Vic is the first person to get through to you. Since Martha. That has to mean something."

Silence.

"And you are worried that if it does not work out you will not be able to work together and that you will ruin your friendship. If for some reason it does not work out, you will be no worse off than you are if you do not try. If you do not take action, she is going to find someone else, and then you will have lost her anyway. And it will difficult for you to be around her and be as close friends as you are now, knowing you could have been together but were too scared to go after what you wanted."

Henry looked at Walt, waiting for him to speak.

"And there's our age difference. She's practically Cady's age," Walt finally said.

"Do you think of her or treat her like a daughter?"

"No."

"Do you feel for Vic the same way you feel for Cady?"

"No."

"Then the fact that she is similar in age to Cady is not a problem. And yes, there is an age difference, but I do not think it is actually an issue. It might even be a good thing. You need her youthful vigor, and she needs your steadfastness."

"She's so different from Martha."

Henry paused, letting the silence sit until Walt looked up at him. "Martha was one of a kind. And what you had was special," Henry said, hesitating for a moment. "At their core, I actually think Vic and Martha have a lot in common, and you know that. But yes, they are different, and it is good that they are. It would not be good for you to look for someone just like Martha. You will never be able to find that person or recreate what you had, and you will only experience disappointment if you try. But Vic is also one of a kind. And you may be able to have something new and special with her."

"She is only newly separated…not even divorced yet. It is too soon for her."

"If her marriage had ended unexpectedly, and her heart had been broken, then I would agree with you. Numerous times I saw her at The Red Pony, or still at work, instead of at home with her husband. I have also heard how she would talk about Sean. It does not appear that she and her husband were ever really happy since they came to Durant, and likely the problems started even before then. And I would not be surprised if her feelings for you started well before her marriage was over, so I do not think it is too soon."

Walt looked off into the distance, lost in thought.

"So I return to my question. How is progress going with Vic?" Henry asked.

A pause. "We've gotten closer these past couple months," Walt finally admitted.

"So you have taken her out on a date?" Henry asked.

"No, I don't mean that. I mean, spending time together outside of work. Talking about things we haven't shared with each other before. Being there for each other. It's all new…but it feels like progress. At least it does to me."

"So what are you going to do to take your relationship to the next level?"

"The next level?" Walt asked.

"Do not play dumb with me, Walter, you know exactly what I mean."

"I don't know. I kind of like the pace it's going at," Walt said.

"Is there risk that Vic will not see it as progress, and think you are not interested, and look for someone else?"

Walt walked over to the steps and up to the porch, wiping his damp face on his sleeve. "I…I'm not sure."

"You might want to figure that out," Henry said, looking up at Walt.

"I probably should," Walt said in response. He opened the front door, stepped inside, and returned with two more cans of beer, handing one to Henry, and sitting down next to him.

"I have missed this too," Henry said, making eye contact with Walt, and then looking out at the stretch of land before them.

"Yep," said Walt.


	8. Chapter 8

**Here's part two of the storyline I started in the previous chapter. The flow didn't quite work as one chapter so I decided to split it into two.**

Vic pulled up behind Henry's truck, eyeing the two men seated on the front steps to Walt's cabin. She opened the door to her truck and stepped out, pulling her sunglasses off and hooking them on the front of her uniform shirt. She glanced to the left and saw the mound of split wood and Walt's axe leaning against the pile. Turning back towards the front porch, she noted several empty beer cans.

"You two look like you're up to no good," Vic said, tilting her head as she appraised them. "I got your message," she added, looking at Henry. "What's up?"

"Message?" Walt started.

"Perfect timing," Henry exclaimed with a big smile. "We could use your help."

Walt eyes narrowed as he looked from Henry to Vic.

Vic, for her part, was looking back and forth between them.

"But before we start, you need a beer," Henry said. "Your options are Rainier…or Rainer. What is your pleasure?"

"I feel like this is a bad time to come. Seems like you're well ahead of me, in the drinking department" Vic said, a crease deepening between her eyes and she tried to ascertain what was going on. "Plus, there is a strong BFF-vibe going on, and I don't want to interrupt anything here."

"First of all your timing could not be better. Walt is about to move on to his fourth beer, so he is becoming giddy."

"Giddy?" Walt asked, turning towards Henry.

"Vic will agree with me on this. During your first few beers you start getting quieter and quieter, as you turn contemplative, pondering life's…or the day's…mysteries and challenges."

"Which is hard to imagine, as your pre-drinking state is pretty minimal already, talking-wise," Vic said with a smile.

"Exactly," Henry said. With a few more beers you start getting a little chattier. A little lighter. On your way to giddy. Of course, we are talking Walt giddy, so it is all relative."

"Definitely my favorite phase," Vic said.

"Mine too," Henry said with a smile. "Add a few more beers, and the next stage is sullen, where you start brooding."

"Not my favorite phase," Vic added.

Henry nodded. "That is when I usually leave you at the end of the bar and call in reinforcements. And if we let your drinking get too far, all bets are off. You could pass out. You could throw a punch. Just about anything is possible. We just need to make sure you do not have your gun in reach. Which brings me back to why your timing is perfect. He has turned the corner, moving from contemplative towards giddy. So in addition to enjoying his giddiness with me, you need to monitor his pacing so we do not get sullen Walt."

"That's what you needed my help for?" Vic asked. "You called an hour ago."

"You called her an hour ago?" Walt asked, confused.

Henry ignored Walt's question. "No, that is not why I called. I will get to that. Your arrival was just good timing, which I wanted to share with you as extra incentive for why you should join us for a beer."

"But I still feel like I am intruding on your BFF reunion."

"The good news, Vic, is that you have passed the first step of our BFF selection process, so as a potential candidate, you will not be interrupting. And as the person currently standing, I nominate you to go get the next round of beers from the fridge," Henry added with a smile.

"BFF selection process, you say? I don't remember applying, or taking any test," she said, returning the smile.

"If you go get the beer, we will give you an update on your progress."

Vic considered the offer, and then shrugged her shoulders. "Why not?" She went back to her truck, opened the door, pulled out a small bag, and then threw her sunglasses in the middle console. She closed the door, climbed up the steps and disappeared into the house.

Walt looked over at Henry.

"What are you doing Henry? When and why did you call Vic?"

Henry glanced over at Walt. "When I was getting the first round and you were still splitting the wood. I thought she might not have plans tonight and would want some company. We both know how lonely a quiet house can be. And I thought she could help us with our accountability. Provide support for our commitment to become better versions of ourselves. So I gave her a call and asked her to join us."

Walt's stare spoke volumes of what he thought of Henry's plan.

"We are both stubborn men, Walt," Henry continued. "And we often overthink things. As evidenced by the size of your wood pile over there, you may have been overthinking things this evening. Whether it is Barlow, Nighthorse, Ridges, Branch or even Martha, someone or something is heavy on your mind. I do not want our stubbornness or overthinking to get in the way of us making progress. I am serious about this. And whatever it takes to keep us focused on changing our course, I am going to do it. If it means relying on others to help us along the way, then I am going to include them. And as I said, Vic seems to be someone who has been able to get through to you, so she was the first person who came to mind, and I called her."

"Henry…" Walt said, a warning in his voice as he sat up straighter. It was at this moment that Vic emerged, dropping off three cans on the top step, and then returning to her truck to put back the bag she had removed. She had taken off her uniform shirt, and replaced it with a red long-sleeve top.

She returned to the steps, sitting down at the top, in the middle. Henry and Walt were sitting on the edges of the next step down. Henry handed her a beer, which she promptly opened and brought to her lips. She had some catching up to do.

"So remind me, what does it take to become a Walt and Henry BFF? I thought it was an exclusive club, for only the two of you."

Walt was still looking directly at Henry, but Henry broke eye contact and looked up at Vic.

"It is exclusive not because we limit it just to the two of us, but because very few get past the first round to even qualify for consideration. By passing the first step, you have qualified for the entry level of 'friend.' Few have made it that far. The next level is 'true friend,' which is difficult to accomplish. And the final level is 'best friend.'"

"Oh yeah? What eliminates most of those who esteem to be friends with the likes of you two?" Vic asked, placing her hand on Walt's shoulder as she looked between them. Walt looked over at her hand while Henry answered.

"The first question is a huge hurdle that few have successfully crossed."

"And what is that?" Vic asked, removing her hand. Walt looked up at Vic and saw that she seemed to be enjoying the discussion. He relaxed a bit.

"Well on my test, the first question is 'Does Walt approve of this individual as a candidate for friend?'. And on Walt's it asks if Henry approves. As I said, few pass, as we are very particular. Especially Walt," Henry added with a smile.

"Well many of your candidates have left a lot to be desired," Walt said, finally giving in and joining the conversation.

"But I passed?" Vic said, laughing.

"With flying colors. Some time ago," Henry confirmed.

"Wow. I feel privileged."

"You passed that difficult hurdle. But remember, that just enables you to achieve the entry level of friend," Henry said. "If you want to make it to true friend, there are going to be extensive hoops you are going to have to jump through. Starting with initial screening."

"What's the first question of your initial screening?"

Walt looked over at Henry.

"Yes, Henry, tell Vic the next question," Walt said, trying not to smile.

"On my test, it asks 'Do you like beer, and are you willing to drink it at the Red Pony?' And Walt's asks 'Do you like Rainiers, and are you willing to drink them pretty much anywhere'?"

Walt considered the question, and nodded. "Yep, that's what it asks next. We've lost a few candidates with that question."

Vic held up her Rainier can. "Luckily I can pass that one with flying colors. And I've hung with you at The Red Pony many a night, Henry, so I'm good. What's the next question?"

Henry looked at Walt.

"Broncos or Chargers?" Walt asked Vic.

Vic looked from one to the other. "Eagles," she stated emphatically, with a smile.

Walt and Henry looked at each other.

"Acceptable answer, since you did not choose sides, and stated your case with conviction," Walt confirmed.

Henry nodded. "You have passed the initial screening, which Walt and I were pretty confident that you would do." Walt gave a nod in confirmation.

"In the next round you will be judged in real world situations to determine your character and whether you are a fit for being a true friend. These assessments could happen at any time, and you will not always be aware that they are part of the test, so you must be prepared at all times if you want to successfully make it through this round."

"Really? How long does this phase of the test last?"

"It can go on for some time. Could even be years. Depends on how you do," Henry said solemnly.

"The correct actions and responses are quite subjective, so you won't always know how you have done," Walt added.

"What are the benefits of making it to the level of true friend? I need to figure out if it's worth it."

"Trust," Henry said.

"Loyalty," Walt added.

"Candor."

"A sounding board."

"Free beer."

"Free breakfast."

"Free advice."

"Henry's tracking skills."

"Walt's investigation skills."

"Back-up."

"Car rides and pick-ups, when you need them."

"Help moving heavy objects."

"Ok. Ok," Vic said with a laugh. "I get it. It may be worth it. Any sneak peeks at some of the categories I'll be judged on?" Vic asked.

"You did well at the fetching beer test," Walt replied.

Henry eyed Walt. "Our lips are sealed. But we can share some of the deal breakers. Actions that would immediately disqualify a candidate, no matter how well he or she is doing on the test," Henry stated.

"Oh yeah, what are those?"

"Stealing $40,000 from Henry," Walt said.

Henry paused, looking at Walt. "Or really any amount," Henry added.

"Well I think picking up a quarter from the floor of the bar wouldn't get her disqualified," Walt said.

"You are right, I would let a quarter slide. But I would be concerned. That floor can get quite dirty," Henry said.

"Ok, so don't take money from Henry. If I made it all the way to BFF, and took money from you, would I still be disqualified?" Vic asked.

Henry looked at Walt. "No, I would assume you would have a really good reason and would pay me back."

"Good to know," Vic said looking between the two of them. "What else?"

"If you date Cady behind Walt's back, that will not put you in his good graces."

"If you falsely accuse either of us of murder. That does not go over well," Walt said.

"If you try to steal my bar from me, or make me angry enough to light it on fire. That does not sit well with me."

"If I ask for the usual, and you come back from The Busy Bee with a salad. That's just not right," Walt said with a straight face.

Henry gave a smile. "Those are just a few. If we remember any others, we will let you know."

"I'm a little nervous," Vic said with a laugh. "I didn't realize my actions and my character were under such scrutiny."

"Just be yourself, and things will turn out as they should," Henry assured her. He paused, looking at them both. "My turn to get the next round." He put his and Vic's empty cans to the side, and headed indoors.

Vic reached over and grabbed Walt's half-full can of beer from his hand, and took a swig. "Just helping you with your pacing, as I was instructed. We want to stretch out giddy Walt as long as we can. I'm definitely enjoying this side of you tonight."

Walt leaned back against the railing, and watched Vic drink his beer.

"What?" she asked, feeling is eyes on her despite not looking at him.

A pause. "Sorry if Henry interrupted your plans tonight," he said apologetically.

Vic looked at him, taking a big breath and breathing out deeply. "I had no plans to interrupt," she said honestly. "I'm sorry that I'm intruding on the two of you. I know you haven't seen him these past couple of weeks, since he's been out of town. If you guys want to hang out, just the two of you, I can go."

Walt paused, still looking directly at her. "No, it's good to have you here," Walt admitted, his hand landing lightly on her knee. Vic looked down at the hand and then up at Walt's face, a small smile appearing. He smiled back in return. The front door swung open as Henry arrived back on the porch carrying some more beer. Breaking eye contact first, Walt quickly removed his hand. Vic watched as Walt sat up straighter, looking out before him.

"So the reason I called you over tonight, Vic, is that we need your help," Henry started, handing a can of Rainier to her and then Walt.

Walt looked over at Henry, giving him a little warning, with his eyes, to tread carefully.

"Walt and I have committed to becoming better men," he said as he took his seat. "We have had some rough times as of late, and have gone off course, so we have come up with a plan to get us back on track."

Henry pulled a piece of paper out and Walt stiffened. He glanced over at the paper in Henry's hands and noted that it didn't have all the writing on it that the previous sheet had listed, so he released the breath he was holding. He looked down at the beer in his hands while Henry continued talking.

"The three areas we are focusing on. One, get our houses in order. Two, trust more and be more open. And three, let love in." Henry handed the paper to Vic. "I am going to re-build the Red Pony, and Walt here is going to get the Sheriff's department back in to shape, and finish this re-model of his cabin he has been working on."

"Re-model?" Vic said with a snort.

Henry smiled, looking at Walt. "See, Walt, I told you Vic would agree with me." He looked back at Vic. "We both need to start trusting people, and being more open. Sharing more. Letting others in. Letting them help us when we need help. And finally, I am going to make better decisions about the women I date. Scrutinize them as I do the friends I select. And I am going to stop pressuring Walt to get back in the saddle by pushing him towards any single woman who crosses his path so he can actually find the right someone."

Vic looked over at Walt without a word, and then back at the paper.

"We are going to need your help Vic. You are a good BS-detector. You are good at getting things done, and telling others the truth when they need to hear it. So we need you to keep us in line. Right Walt?"

Walt looked up, first at Henry, and then at Vic. "Right," he replied.

"So Vic, what do you think? Are you willing to lend us a hand?" Henry inquired.

With her eyes on Walt's, Vic nodded. "Sure," she responded. She looked over at Henry and smiled. "This means you will be jumping through hoops for me," she said. "And I can call you on your shit."

"I hear entirely too much glee in her voice, Henry. I'm a little worried that the power we have bestowed her has gone straight to her head."

"Whatever it takes to keep us on the straight and narrow," Henry said with a laugh. "Then we are agreed," he said, putting out his hand to Vic. She took his hand and shook it. "And in the spirit of providing us support, could I get a ride home. It is probably not a good idea to drive myself in this state."

"Sure, no problem," Vic responded.

At that moment Henry's cell phone rang. He took it out and looked at the number. "It is the bar. I will take this inside. Please excuse me," he said, standing up, and heading inside.

Vic looked over her shoulder at Henry's receding back, and then over at Walt.

"So which of the three things on the list are you going to work on first?" Vic asked, once again taking Walt's beer from his hands.

Walt followed the beer as she raised it to her lips. "Which one do you think I should work on first?"

Vic pondered Walt's question. "Be more open. I think if you work on that one, you'll help yourself out in the other areas as well." After a pause she added "By sharing more with others, being more open to their support, and being more receptive to new things and new ways of doing things, you are going to be more trusting, you'll make more progress at the office and with your cabin, and you'll be able to let others in. Let someone else in."

Walt kept his eyes on her face. "Ok," he replied.

"In fact. I think I may want to take on these three things as well. I could benefit from focusing on myself and making some changes." Still looking at Walt she asked "Which one should I start with?"

"Get your house in order," Walt responded.

"You're probably right. I need to finalize my divorce. Get my house in order, literally, by getting Sean's crap out. And get my head screwed back on at work."

Both Vic and Walt looked out before them, a silence settling in.

"You're pretty lucky to have each other, you and Henry" Vic said, finally breaking the silence. "I can't believe you've been best friends six the sixth grade. It is amazing. I never really made a friend like that when I was a kid."

Walt looked over at Vic, and then scooted up to the step above his to sit next to her.

"I had a lot of kids in my circle, but no real close girl friends. Definitely not a best friend. I was a tomboy. A loud mouth. And probably pretty intimidating. I seemed to have more guy friends than girl friends, growing up. Until high school, when the guys starting noticing I was actually a girl, and wanted something different from me. I think my brothers were my closest friends, but I was only willing to share so much with them. And the boyfriends I've had over the years didn't start out as friends, and definitely never became best friends, so I've never really had that person in my life." Vic paused, looking down at the beer can in her hands.

"When I arrived here, in Durant, I was so unhappy about being here that I closed myself off for a while. But you all wore me down," she said looking at Walt and then back at the cabin in reference to Henry. "With your acceptance and outreach. You broke down the walls I put up. And now I feel like I have some friends." She looked back out into the darkness before her.

"In fact, you might be my best friend Walt. I know I haven't progressed that far on your best friend test, and that you already have Henry, but you really are my best friend," she said looking over at him. "I just wanted you to know that."

Walt reached out and placed his hand on her knee again. Their eyes still connected.

"Don't tell Henry, but you've already passed my test for true friend," Walt grinned.

"And what about best friend?" Vic asked, leaning in.

"You only have to put in another thirty-five plus years and you'll earn it…I'm pretty certain," he responded.

Vic laughed out loud. Walt's heart skipped a beat at the sound.

"So can I take you up on one of the benefits of true friend status you mentioned…helping move large objects? Some of Sean's stuff is going to be a bitch to move out."

Walt smiled as Henry emerged from inside. Vic noticed that Walt did not remove his hand this time.

Henry breathed in deeply, and looked out before him.

"Change is in the air, and it is a good thing."

"Ready to head out?" Vic asked.

"Ready," he said looking down at the two of them. "Walt, thank you for your hospitality. I look forward to our journey together." He bounded down the steps, and made his way over to the passenger side of Vic's truck.

Vic stood, and Walt did the same. She quickly pressed his hand with hers.

"I'll see you later."

He squeezed back and then reluctantly let go.

Vic headed to her truck, glancing back as she opened the door, a smile on her face. "I'm looking forward to the more open you," she called out.

"Me too," he returned. And he realized he actually was.


	9. Chapter 9

"Hello," Walt said, answering his home phone.

"I'm close," Vic responded.

A pause. "Vic?"

"Yes, I'll be pulling up in front of your place momentarily."

"You're what?"

"I'm almost at your place, and I'll need your help getting the stuff out of my truck. Henry loaded up more than I expected him to."

Silence. "Vic, what are you talking about?"

"The shit for your cabin. To complete the work on your place. Your 're-model,' as you called it. I stopped by the Red Pony to say 'hi' to Henry, and he wanted me to bring over some of the supplies you guys will need tomorrow. He said you would be expecting me."

"This is all news to me," Walt said, running his hand through the hair at the base of his neck. "It appears Cady and Henry are in cahoots, again."

"Well, I'm pulling in now, so come on out," Vic said, hanging up the phone.

Walt was left staring at the phone in his hand, before giving a slight shake to his head, and putting the handset in its dock. He opened his front door, pausing just inside. Vic was already at the back of her truck pulling things out. Walt tucked in his shirt, watching her maneuver between the items.

"Come on slowpoke, get your butt out here," Vic called out, not looking up at Walt.

Walt pushed open the screen door, stepped outside, and made his way down to join her. The moment he arrived at the rear of his truck, she turned towards him and loaded up his arms with supplies. Walt looked down at the materials, and then up at Vic, but she had already turned back into the truck. He turned and carried the materials to his porch.

"So you didn't plan on working on your place tomorrow?" Vic asked, as Walt lowered the materials he was carrying.

"Tomorrow? No," Walt said as he returned to the back of the truck. "They must have thought it would put a little more pressure on me by having you bring over these items. Having someone else involved other than the usual suspects."

"Well, both Cady and Henry are showing up tomorrow, and Henry said he will be bringing over more tools and supplies in his truck, so if you want him to bring anything specific, you need to give him a call today. Clearly Henry is serious about you making progress on your 'Better Versions of Ourselves' plan you both agreed to the other day," Vic said as she loaded some more materials into his arms and then followed him to the porch with her own armload. "He also asked me to remind you to get any crap that might be in the way out of the way. Especially from the closets, the bathroom, and the kitchen."

Walt added the second load of materials to the pile he had started on the left side of his porch, and then looked through his open front door to survey his place. Vic put down her items and returned to the truck.

"I think Henry went to the same school of training as Ruby. There are post-it notes with reminders and instructions attached to several items in here. Must be 'Walt Longmire communication training 101,'" she said with laugh. She looked up at Walt when he didn't comment, and found him still standing on the porch, looking back and forth at the pile of supplies and the inside of his cabin. Vic could see his dismay as he took in the potentially daunting task before him.

"I'll help," Vic offered, as she carried another armload to the porch. Walt turned towards Vic. "I'll help you get your place ready. It'll be easier to tackle if the two of us take it on."

Walt opened his mouth to turn down her offer, but realized he might not get it done without her.

"Thank you," was all he said. Vic returned to the back of her truck.

"Wow," Vic said. "Henry really planned for everything. Probably didn't want to give you any excuses. He made you some sandwiches. There's a six-pack in here. Cleaning supplies. Garbage bags. And even cardboard boxes to pack up your stuff."

She looked up at Walt, who hadn't moved.

"Walt, you ready?" Vic called out. "Walt," she repeated. No response. "Sheriff," she finally tried. Walt finally came to attention, and turned back towards Vic. "Ready?" she asked.

He walked down the steps towards her and she placed the sandwiches and beer in his hands. "Put these in the fridge. I'm going to start taping up some boxes so we can move your stuff out on the porch."

Walt nodded, walked back up the steps and went inside. Vic grabbed some of the flat boxes, some garbage bags, as well as the packing tape and marker Henry had included, and followed Walt in.

She placed the items she was carrying on the coffee table, and started to assemble the boxes. Walt pulled off two of the cans from the 6-pack plastic ring, and then placed the remaining cans and sandwiches in his fridge. He opened one of the cans and handed it to Vic, and then opened the other one for himself.

Vic walked into the kitchen, took a sip, put down her beer on the kitchen table, and then wrote 'kitchen' on the sides of two of the assembled boxes she had brought with her. She handed one of the boxes to Walt, who placed his beer next to Vic's.

"Why don't you start with the items on the counters and table, and I'll get everything from these shelves. In addition to finishing the cabinets, I think Henry said they are going to work on the electrical wiring, and do some painting, and from the look of this pantry, probably re-do it as well," she said as she opened one of the pantry doors to appraise the inside of the closet. "We'll want to get this all cleared out."

Walt was loading up his box with items from the counter, but didn't appear to be listening to Vic.

"Walt are you ok with all of this? If you aren't ready to take this on, we can call Henry and reschedule."

Walt paused for a moment, and then turned to look at Vic. "No, it's ok. I was just doing some thinking."

Vic returned to loading up her box.

"When did you buy this land and start building the cabin?" Vic asked.

"A while back," Walt responded. Vic waited for him to elaborate.

"That was a gripping story. Make sure you tell your grandkids that story just like you told it to me. You'll have them on the edge of their seats," Vic said with a smile. Walt looked over and smiled back.

"A year-and-a-half after Cady was born, Martha got pregnant. We lived in a two-bedroom house close to downtown, and started talking about buying some land out here, and building a house. Martha was really excited about it. About having some more space for all of us, both indoors and out. And I liked the idea of having a little more space between us and our nearest neighbors," Walt paused, looking out the kitchen window.

"We found this land shortly afterwards and bought it. But then she lost the baby, and the one after that as well, and our plans were put on hold. We didn't have it in us to start the project, as we dealt with the loss, and the one-child future before us. Martha had always dreamt of having a large family, so the fact that we couldn't have any more children devastated her for a while."

Vic had momentarily stopped packing, watching Walt, who continued to load his box. He sensed that she was looking at him and turned around, their eyes connecting and momentarily holding.

Walt finally broke eye contact and carried his box out on to the porch. He returned, picking up two boxes from the coffee table on his way back to the kitchen. He wrote 'kitchen' on the sides of the boxes, as Vic had done with the others, and then looked back at the counter.

Walt decided to leave the coffee maker out for tomorrow, acknowledging that caffeine would be a top priority in the morning. He placed the few remaining items from the kitchen table in the box he was holding, and then turned towards the pantry.

Vic carried her box out to the porch and returned with an empty one.

"When did you officially make the decision to build this place out here?" Vic asked as she re-entered the kitchen.

"Hmm?" Walt said, looking up, a little lost in thought. "Oh…we bounced the idea around while Cady was in college, and then started making plans while she was in law school. Once she graduated, and we had no more school bills to pay, we began the work. The plan was to do as much of the work ourselves as we could. Martha was going to do all the decorating, along with the details, like putting the closet shelving together, and picking out the kitchen cabinetry, and installing the hardware." Walt placed the item he was holding in his hand into the box, paused a moment, and took a sip of beer.

"I had finished the foundation and frame of the cabin when she got sick. She wanted me to keep working on the place, while she backed off for a while to begin her treatment, which I did. It gave me something to focus on, but at the same time my heart wasn't in it as it had been. I did the bare minimum I needed to, thinking once it was livable we could move in and we could continue the work together, with her helping out when she was feeling up to it. But I realized that she couldn't live in a place without heating, a finished bathroom or all the amenities that our current house had. Plus we needed to be closer to her doctor and the hospital. So I quickly abandoned that idea." He took another sip.

"She did get to see the cabin a few times. We walked through it, and she explained her vision for the place. We even went to the hardware store a couple times to pick out the cabinets and discuss options for the bathroom and closets. But shortly after her last trip to the cabin we went to Denver…"

Walt had finished loading his two boxes with pantry items. He picked them up and carried them to the porch, with Vic just behind, carrying her own full box. Vic put her box down, ran back inside, and then returned with their two beers.

Walt and Vic stood at the top of the steps looking outwards, Rainiers in hand.

"How come you and Sean never had kids?" Walt asked, taking a sip and looking at her.

If Vic was thrown by the question, she didn't show it. She seemed to ponder her response for a moment. "When I was younger, I never really thought about getting married, or having babies like the other girls seemed to. I didn't decide against them, but they didn't seem to be the defining aspects of my vision of the future. School, training, becoming a detective and having fun along the way were my focus. I was a bit of a wild child. A bad girl, as we discussed. So a lot of what I did was a rebellion. Against my parents. Against what was expected of me. While other girls my age were getting married and popping out kids, I was kicking ass at work, and partying it up on the side." She looked over at Walt for a moment, and then down to the beer in her hands.

"But after the crazy whirlwind relationship, or whatever you want to call it, with Gorski, I decided to scale back a bit. I met Sean and for the first time contemplated a future that was within reach. But even though I settled down and got married, the idea of kids didn't seem right at the time. I was advancing in my career, which wasn't the safest line of work, and didn't really follow a 9-5 schedule. And things between Sean and me weren't great, especially with the whole Internal Audit fiasco, and some of my earlier wild-child behavior being revealed as a way to mar my character by Gorski and some of the guys in the department." She finished off her beer and then balanced her can on the railing.

"When we first moved out here, before I took the deputy job, Sean and I talked about the possibility of kids. Probably as a misguided attempt to save our marriage. But we decided to put the conversation on hold. To adjust to our move from Philly and our new surroundings before making any more major life decisions. As you can see, we never really made it back to that conversation."

"And now?" Walt asked.

"And now? Do I want kids now, outside of the context of Sean?" Vic asked out loud, looking out in front of her as she contemplated Walt's question. "I thought I might freak out, when Sean and I split up. At the door being closed on the possibility of kids without a husband in the picture. But I didn't. If I were to get pregnant at some point in the future, I think the news might throw me initially. And then I would embrace it. And love my child, and try to be the best mother I could be. But if I never have a child, I would be ok with that too. I don't need a child to complete me. To be happy. But if I had a child, I know the child would make me happy. It's hard to explain, but there it is," Vic said, finally looking over at Walt, who looked right back at her.

Vic put her hand out to take Walt's empty can, and then picked up her own. She made her way to the kitchen, recycled the cans, and grabbed two more beers from the fridge.

"Alright, you take care of the things on the desk, the boxes of books on the floor, as well as the items in the bathroom. I'll start working on your bedroom closets." She handed Walt a couple of the boxes, and then brought the rest into the bedroom.

There weren't many items in the bathroom to pack up. After remembering to grab the bar of soap and bottle of shampoo from the wall behind the shower curtain, Walt turned his attention to the desk near the front window. He cleared all the items on the desk except for his answering machine and the two picture frames. One held a picture of Cady, Henry and Walt at the Red Pony. The other held a picture of Cady and Martha, at Cady's law school graduation. Walt held both pictures in his hands for a moment, looking back and forth between them. He put them down, went out to the porch, and returned with a roll of paper towels. He wrapped each of the frames, and then placed them on top of the items already in the box, and then brought the box outside. He finished by bringing the three boxes of books out to the porch.

Satisfied with the condition of the room, Walt grabbed his Rainier. He stopped inside the doorway to his bedroom, finding Vic sitting at the end of his bed, a book in her hands. Around her on the floor were boxes filled with items from his closet. Shirts, pants, his leather jacket. Another box held a pair of Ropers, his winter boots, a pair of hiking boots, and a pair of dress shoes he had long forgotten he still owned. He glanced back over at Vic and recognized the photo album she was holding. Vic suddenly realized that Walt was standing at the door and gave a slight jump.

"I didn't see you there," Vic said looking over at Walt. She looked down at the photo album and back over at Walt. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't be snooping through your stuff. I just came across this album. Thought there would be pictures of Cady growing up. But it turns out that it contains pictures of you as a kid." She paused. "Are you ok with me looking at this, or do you want me to stop?" she asked.

Walt looked at her without speaking.

"You're not ok with it."

"No, its fine."

"Are you not ok with me being in your bedroom? Is it weird seeing me sitting on your bed?"

"It's not weird. Just different. Just wrapping my mind around it," Walt said, and then gave a half smile.

Vic smiled back.

"Worried I'm going to jump your bones from all the way over here?"

Walt looked down, and then back up, taking a couple steps into the room.

"I'm hoping to find a picture of you from high school, in your football uniform. Henry said the girls all thought you were quite the catch, and I want to see what all the fuss was about. Plus I want to see you in tight pants," she added, a smile escaping.

"Here you are! And the girls were right. You were quite the hottie! And a good butt too. We need to frame this and hang it up at work," she said with a laugh.

"Don't you dare. Bad enough they still have a picture up at the school." Vic gave another laugh.

"These pictures in here are amazing," Vic said as she flipped through the pages. "And there are a lot of them. Who took them?"

"My mother. She loved taking pictures. And painting. Capturing moments. As her only child, I was featured in quite a bit of her work."

"She was really good," Vic said looking up. "What about your dad? Did he have any special talents or interests?"

Walt paused, taking Vic and her question in. "He loved music. Both of my parents did. Our house was always filled with music. My dad played the guitar and my mom played the piano. That's where I learned how to play. My parents say they met when my father heard her piano playing through a window he was walking by. He fell in love instantly. With the music. And eventually with the woman responsible for it."

"Is that your mom's piano out there?"

Walt looked out the door and then back at Vic. "Yes."

"So they passed on their musical ability and appreciation to you. And you've mentioned that you did some sketching as a youth. But what about the photography? You don't really have any pictures around your place other than the two at your desk. How did you not get into that?"

Walt shifted weight from one foot to the other, one hand on his hip, the other holding his beer. "My mom was an extremely compassionate and optimistic person. She saw so much promise in the people around her. So much possibility. Even in unhappy moments." Walt paused, taking a sip.

"I was more like my dad. I saw the sadness. The unfairness. The things that people did to each other. Being in law enforcement only reinforced my view of the world. Ruby thinks I focus more on the dead than the living. That it shades everything I see. My mom's pictures captured her outlook. I didn't have her compassion. Her eye for the potential in others. I could not capture the same essence with my pictures, so I never really got into it. Martha was similar to my mother. Compassionate and optimistic. And it showed in the pictures she took as well," he added.

"The problem with Martha being the primary picture taker in our house meant that she appeared in very few of the pictures that were taken of our family. When I finally moved into this cabin, and was strong enough…brave enough…to look through the pictures, I found that so many had me in them. I thought that I would want pictures of Cady and Martha up on the walls, but when I finally found some, I just couldn't do it. The memories they evoked were too much to handle at the time." Walt looked down at the beer in his hands.

"Eventually Cady gave me those two pictures on my desk. I haven't really taken many pictures these past few years, so I don't really have much to add to that collection."

Vic lifted her head from the book and looked up at Walt. She stood up quickly, picking up two boxes.

"I'll take the boxes I packed out to the porch. Can you clear out the other closet? Looks like most of the stuff is still in boxes, so should be easy to move."

Vic made her way out to the porch, and added the bedroom boxes to the pile. She returned to the bedroom, placed the photo album in one of the remaining boxes, and carried them outside. Walt showed up behind with boxes from the other closet. He made a couple more trips to his bedroom to get the items he'd left behind.

"Let's move the coffee table and kitchen shelving unit out here as well, to make more room for your 'helpers' tomorrow," Vic suggested. Walt agreed, and together they moved the two pieces of furniture. Vic made a final trip inside, returning with a couple of the sandwiches Henry had packed."

Taking a seat at the top of the steps, Vic put aside the bag with the sandwiches and took out her cell phone.

"I think Ruby's wrong," Vic said looking up at Walt. "I don't think you are more focused on the dead than the living. I think you are focused on justice and fairness, and doing what is right. Which involves giving the dead some of your attention," she said.

"And I think you underestimate yourself. You are an extremely compassionate person. I've seen how you are with the victims' families. And in handling cases that involve a lot of grey. The situation with Bob Barnes, for example. And with me, and the trials and tribulations I've put you through as my past caught up with me."

Walt sat down next to Vic.

"I think that by completing your cabin, you'll bring some more closure for yourself. For Martha. You'll be able to make this a home, like Martha envisioned, all those years ago," Vic said, placing her hand on Walt's arm.

"And I want to show you that you can capture the happiness of a moment. The potential. Just with your own slant."

She removed her hand from Walt's arm, turned on her cell phone, and switched on the camera mode.

"Will you be helping us out tomorrow, with the work on my place?" Walt asked.

Vic raised her head, looking directly at Walt.

"Of course," she replied. "If you want me to."

"I do," he confirmed with a smile.

Vic nodded, and then looked back at her phone. She flipped the camera view, so they could see themselves on screen, and then held the phone up, bringing Walt's hand with her.

"I'll hold the phone. You press that button, and take the picture," Vic said, looking over at him, a beaming smile on her face. He looked back at her, a similar smile spreading on his own, and pressed the button.


	10. Chapter 10

Exhaustion. The kind that made every part of his body seem heavy. The kind that made him wonder "When did I get this old?" He might not be able to get up from the steps he was sitting on. He might not be able to lift his arms tomorrow. Or get out of bed. Ever.

Walt needed this break. Away from the commotion going on inside. But there was still a spark inside him. Keeping him going. And it brought a smile to his face. A smile, despite his exhaustion. Or maybe because of his exhaustion. A smile that he wouldn't let Henry see.

The screen door suddenly swung open, causing Walt to look up.

"Oh…Walt. Hi. I…I was just…taking off."

"Hi Ferg…sure…not a problem. You've gone above and beyond today."

"Oh…it was nothing…I was happy to help."

"Well I'm glad Cady was able to convince you to join us."

"Cady…yes. She's very…convincing," Ferg said with a smile.

Walt continued to look at Ferg, his eyes squinting. There was something in Ferg's expression. In his eyes. Something that Walt's tired brain couldn't quite piece together. Walt thought he'd have to get to the bottom of whatever that was. That was if his body was going to recover and allow him to go back to work tomorrow, where he could assess the situation further. But not now.

"Well…goodbye Walt," Ferg said looking down at him, and then moving down the steps and towards his car.

Walt looked out at Ferg. He knew what he needed to do but he didn't know if his legs would cooperate.

"Uh…Ferg…wait," Walt called out, forcing himself up, and down the steps. He caught up to Ferg, who stood outside his car, a look of confusion on his face.

"Uh…before you leave…umm…I just wanted to…I just wanted to…uh…apologize."

Ferg remained silent, his confusion growing.

"Umm…it's been…we've all had a rough…you've had to put up with a lot this year. From all of us. From me especially. I took things out on you. That you did not deserve. Like the situation with the desk. That was uncalled for. And I apologize. I should have apologized earlier, but I was wrapped up in things. For which I also apologize."

Ferg looked a little uncomfortable, but he let Walt continue.

"You were quite instrumental in solving some of our critical cases recently. I was also impressed, that despite everything we were putting you through or not involving you in, you were brave enough to stand up for yourself. I didn't give you the credit you deserved…and I…uh…I want you to know that you are a valued member of the team…and things are going to be…different…going forward."

He could tell Ferg was a bit shocked by his admission. Walt stuck his hand out.

"Will you accept my apology, Ferg?" Walt asked.

Ferg hesitated a moment, and then grabbed Walt's hand and shook it, a smile appearing on his face. Walt clapped Ferg on the shoulder with his left hand.

"Thanks, again. You didn't need to help me out today, after all I have put you through. But you did. And I greatly appreciate it," Walt said sincerely.

"You're welcome. I'll…uh…I'll see you at work tomorrow," Ferg said, and then stepped into his car. Walt closed the door for him, tapped the top of the car, and then waved goodbye. He watched Ferg's car drive off down the road.

Walt turned, heading back. As he convinced his legs to take him back up the steps, he raised his eyes and saw Cady standing just inside the door.

"Hey Punk. How long have you been standing there?"

"Sorry. Didn't mean to spy on you. I didn't realize you were out here with Ferg."

Cady stepped out of the cabin, two cups of coffee in her hands. She handed one to Walt, and then took a seat at the top of the steps. Walt slowly sat down beside her.

"How are you doing Dad?"

Walt looked over at Cady, taking her in. He smiled. "It's been a good day. Tiring, but good. I'll be the first to admit that I am surprised by this."

"The fact that you are admitting it definitely says something. We ambushed you, and you have taken it very well," Cady said with a laugh.

"I'll deny it if you repeat any of this to Henry," Walt said, smiling back.

Cady raised her coffee cup to her lips, looking at Walt over the rim.

"Something is different about you Dad. Like a huge weight has been lifted. You seem more open…to life. I think it's great."

"I'm guessing you know about Henry's plan for the two of us."

"I do. And I've got to tell you that I'm impressed with the progress you've made already. In every category."

Walt looked at Cady without speaking for a moment. He reached out his hand and grabbed hers.

"Cady, there is so much I want to say to you. You have done so much for me. Not just this home improvement stuff today, but everything. You gave up your career, and moved back to Durant to help me after your mother's death…even though I pushed you away. Kept you at arms-length. Kept secrets from you. Unable to let you help me the way you wanted to. The way I needed you to."

Walt's eyes began to water, and Cady's quickly did the same.

"I've hurt you, and I am sorry for this. I thought I was protecting you, but I think I was trying to protect myself. Protect my heart. My damaged heart that I thought couldn't take any more and was beyond repair."

"Dad, you were right. Knowing the truth. About how Mom died…was devastating. It tore me up. It's torn all of us up. But I think we are also stronger, because it brought us together. To share the burden…and find justice for her and Henry."

Walt ran his thumb along Cady's cheek as a tear escaped.

"I want to be a better father. I want us to move forward, together."

"Me too Dad."

She put her mug down, reached over, and put her arms around Walt. He returned the hug, kissing the top of her head. They sat like that for a while.

Cady finally pulled back, wiped her eyes and smiled.

"How's the bedroom coming along?" Walt asked.

"We finished…and it looks great. Ferg helped me get some of your old furniture out of your shed. And Dave helped me complete the walls and ceiling in the closets, and put in the shelving installations. It looks great, if I must say so."

"Of course it does. Thanks for all you've done today. For convincing me to do this."

"You should go and take a look. I also…in the spirit of the "Be more open" goal in your plan, I want you to keep an open mind. I put some things up on your walls. Which I hope you will like. And I…I put some new items in your closet…some new clothes," she said.

"I don't need…" Walt began to say.

"I understand if you don't want to wear them. I'm not saying you have to. But I wanted you to have them. Just in case. Just in case an occasion arose. As you work on your plan, there may be a special occasion where you wished you had something to go along with the new you…something special…to wear. So they can sit at the back of your closet. But they'll be there…if you need them."

Walt looked down at his hands.

"Ok. Thanks."

"And Dad…" Cady paused, waiting for Walt to look up. "I know that you don't need my permission or my approval…but I think that you think that you do. So I give it to you. In regards to Vic."

"Vic?" Walt asked.

"She told me about her pending divorce. That she and Sean have been separated for a while. I've sensed something between the two of you. I did tell you to find someone like Vic, but I now want to amend that and say that that person should be Vic."

Walt neither responded nor objected.

"I believe that she is partly responsible for why you've made so much progress these past few months," Cady added.

Walt looked over at Cady. Silence engulfed them, but it was not the silence that used to settle between them. Heavy. A barrier. This silence was hopeful. Encouraging. Freeing.

"She is," Walt finally said. "And you're right. She means something to me. I'm not trying to keep things from you. I'm still trying to figure it all out."

"You don't have to tell me everything. Believe me, I don't want to know everything," she said with a smile. "But I'm here if you want to talk more about it. About her. About the two of you."

Walt put his arm around her and pulled her to him. "Thanks Punk."

After a moment Cady stood up.

"Alright, I'm going to bring some of these boxes into the kitchen and start unpacking. I peaked in earlier. You, Ferg and John did a fantastic job."

Cady picked up one of the boxes from the pile. As she held the door open, she looked over at Walt and smiled, and then disappeared inside.

Walt looked out before him. He thought about Cady. And Ferg. And the burden that had begun to lift with just two short conversations. He thought about Vic. About conversations not yet held. A sound interrupted his train of thought. He heard Henry before he saw him.

"I will bring it in," Henry called out over his shoulder as he walked out on to the porch. He moved to look through a few boxes before selecting one and picking it up. It wasn't until he turned back towards the door that he saw Walt.

He smiled down at Walt. "Have we worn you out?" Henry asked.

"Yes."

"Have you given up?"

Walt paused. "No. Just resting."

"Good. You made huge progress today, getting your house in order. It took a little manipulation on Cady's and my part, but you own this success."

"I'm glad you are admitting that you did a little manipulation. Somehow that seemed to slip your mind this morning when I called you out on it," Walt said. "What do I owe the three men you brought with you to help us out?"

"You needed their help with the plumbing, electrical wiring, and all the work we needed to do," Henry began to defend his decision.

"I'm not disagreeing that they were needed. They were. I'm just asking how much their contribution will set me back," Walt said, standing up.

"I told them to send you an invoice. They did great work, but their price will be fair."

"I don't doubt it," Walt agreed. He paused, looking Henry directly in the eyes. "Thanks Henry."

Henry shifted the box to one arm and then pulled Walt in for a quick hug and thump on the back.

He pulled back and re-shifted the box. "You deserve all of this. No need to thank me."

He turned to head back in, but then looked back at Walt. "You should go check out what Vic, Richard and I accomplished in the bathroom. You should be proud of your woman…she knows her way around a tool belt."

"She's not my woman."

"Yet," Henry said with a smile, letting the screen door close behind him.

Walt looked at the remaining items still on his porch, and then opened the door to step inside, nearly colliding with Vic.

"Walt!" Vic exclaimed. "Just the person I was looking for. Are you ready to see your brand new bathroom?"

"Sure."

Vic pulled him into the bathroom, and partially closed the door. Her face was beaming. Walt was barely listening as she verbally walked him through the work they had done. Walt watched her as she described the new fixtures. Watched her face. Her eyes. Her mouth. Her hands as she waved them around in her excitement. Her enthusiasm was contagious, and he found he matched her smile for smile. He registered that the walls looked the way walls should actually look. Solid. Complete. But everything else was a blur. Only she was in focus. Their eyes connected as she finished talking.

"What do you think?" she asked.

"Beautiful," he responded.

Vic blushed. "I didn't do it alone. It was a group effort," she explained.

"The bathroom looks great too," Walt said.

Vic blushed further, her eyes shining brightly. Walt breathed in. And out. He was sure Vic could hear his heart beating. The pace quickening. He took a step towards her.

"So what do you think? Did we do you proud?" Henry's questions cut through the silence from the other room.

Walt shifted his weight back, towards his heals. Vic dropped her eyes, and then pulled the door fully open.

"He hates it, and wants us to put it back to how it was before," Vic called out to Henry, stepping out of the bathroom. Finding her voice. Walt couldn't say the same.

"Not an option," Henry responded with a laugh.

Walt took a breath, settling his nerves, and then joined Vic outside the bathroom. She looked up at him and gave a shy smile.

"Should we go check out what Cady did with your bedroom?"

Walt nodded, unsure whether his voice would betray him.

Vic pulled him into the bedroom, and then stopped in her tracks. Walt stepped beside her to see what she was looking at. A bookshelf loaded with his books. The crate next to his bed, gone, two bed end tables in its place. His old reading chair. Sitting there like it had been there all along. And a new quilt. Exuding comfort. Warmth. His room felt like a bedroom, not just a room with a bed.

But the furniture was not what had captured Vic's attention. It was the wall in front of the closets. Cady had covered it with pictures, in frames of various sizes. They both walked up to take a closer look. Walt. Cady. Henry. Vic. Ferg. Ruby. Lucian. The town. Even Martha. Smiling back at them. Moments captured.

Vic looked up at Walt to gauge his reaction. He smiled down at her, and she smiled in return.

Walt continued to inspect the pictures as Vic opened up the first closet door.

"Major improvement," Vic said, standing just outside looking in. "Your closets were pretty sketchy before, I'll have to admit. They look amazing now."

Vic stepped in, with Walt just behind her. He felt Vic's warmth through his clothes, her right side lined up just inside his left. He might have imagined it, but she seemed to take a step back when he joined her side. Stepping into him. Deepening the contact. They both glanced around the space, saying nothing. He could smell her shampoo. His left hand tentatively reached out to touch her shoulder. But he paused, his hand mid-air.

"Alright you two. We need your help in here. Henry and I have decided to do some reorganization. There's still more stuff to bring in. And then we can call it a day," Cady's voice invaded the stillness between them.

Walt withdrew his hand, once again stepping back. They smiled at each other, and then returned to the bedroom. Vic led the way to the porch to retrieve the last boxes. Walt, a few steps behind.

Out on the porch, Vic surveyed the remaining items. She made a move to pick up one of the boxes, but Walt grabbed her arm. In one swift motion he turned a surprised Vic around and engulfed her in his embrace.

"Thank you," Walt whispered, one hand in her hair, the other at her back. "For your help today...for…everything."

Vic squeezed back. Her arms encircling him. Her cheek near his chin. "You're welcome."

He lifted his head to look at Vic, who looked back up at him.

"I've been giving out a lot of hugs today. More than my usual quota," Walt said.

"I haven't seen you give out many hugs before."

"Exactly."

"Even Ferg got a hug today? Now I don't feel special."

"Well...Ferg got a hearty handshake. So you should still consider yourself special," Walt said, his arms still around her.

"I don't know, your hugs for Cady and Henry kind of diminish how exceptional you think this hug is" Vic said with a laugh.

Walt smiled down at Vic.

Cady called out, but Walt couldn't make out the words. He wasn't listening. This time he ignored the interruption, and leaned down and brushed his lips against Vic's. Vic smiled into the kiss, and then kissed him in return. She pulled back, their faces still close.

"Are you giving out an extra quota of kisses today as well? How did that kiss rate compared to the one you got from Henry?" Vic asked, pulling back further, her eyes glowing.

"Hmm. Difficult to tell. May need to test it out again to know for sure," Walt said with a smile.


	11. Chapter 11

Vic pounded her steering wheel in frustration. She grabbed the wheel with both hands, her knuckles turning white. Her arms tense. The music coming from her truck's radio was more an irritant than a distraction, so she turned it off, and rolled down both front windows, hoping some fresh air would calm her nerves.

When her cell phone rang she jumped. Ruby's name flashed on the screen, announcing her caller. She thought about ignoring it. She was off duty. Headed home. Ruby's call could not possibly bring good news, and would likely put her back on the clock. She decided to let it go to voice mail.

Vic continued towards her destination, her hair whipping in the wind. She thought about putting her head out the window and screaming. Suddenly her phone rang again, Ruby's name once more displayed.

"Damn it," Vic cursed underneath her breath.

She looked at the offending phone, and then gave in, reaching across the seat to pick it up.

"What's up Ruby?" she asked tersely as she answered.

There was a pause. "Hi Vic. Are you still at the hospital?" Ruby's voice greeted Vic with kindness. And patience. Making Vic feel guilty about how she had answered. She should not be taking this out on Ruby.

"Actually, no. I've picked up the medical reports. I also have the ballistic results. They confirm all of our assumptions, but add nothing new. I was closer to my house than the office, so I am headed home. I'll bring them in first thing tomorrow."

"Walt radioed in, asking if you could drop them off at his place on the way home. He's continuing to work on the case tonight, and needs the documents."

Vic paused, taking in a deep breath.

"Sure thing Ruby. See you tomorrow." Vic hit the steering wheel again, and then pulled a U-turn and headed in the direction of Walt's cabin.

It's not that she didn't want to see Walt. She did. In fact seeing him might do her, and her current disposition, some good. But she didn't think she wanted Walt to see her. She was all wound up. The images of the victim kept playing in a loop in her head, giving her a headache. Her eyes were burning, a mixture of exhaustion and building frustration. All related to the case they were working. Or mostly the case. The specific day, and how it started, might have had something to do with it as well.

When Walt's cabin came into view, she felt her grip on the steering wheel relax. Maybe this was a good idea. Maybe Walt could provide just the uplift she needed. She pulled up in front of his place, put her truck in park, and then shut off the ignition. She re-did her ponytail, took a deep breath, and then stepped out of the vehicle. Before she had even shut her driver's side door, Walt came bounding down his front steps to greet her.

"Vic, you're early…" Walt began.

"Early?"

"I mean, you got here quicker than I expected. Ruby just called me to say she'd gotten ahold of you."

"Oh…well, I guess I was closer to your place than Ruby realized," Vic said. "Crap," she added turning back towards her car, opening the door and leaning across the driver's seat to grab the folder of reports. Her reason for being here. She turned around and handed them to Walt, who stared at them blankly.

"The reports you asked Ruby to ask me to drop off," Vic clarified.

"Right," Walt said. "Thanks."

She paused, looking Walt up and down.

"Why are you acting so weird? What's going on?" she asked.

"I'm not acting weird."

"Yes you are. You're kind of fidgeting, and giving me that look you get when something is going on in that head of yours that you don't want to reveal. And you practically ran down the stairs when I pulled up," Vic said. "Reminds me of that time Ferg and I came over to drop off your truck, and you ran outside to greet me because you didn't want me to know that Lizzie was here."

Vic looked up at the house, pausing to listen.

"Do you have someone in the house? Is that music I hear?"

Walt's eyes paused on Vic's face, and then back towards his cabin. "It's just me. No one else. Other than you, that is. And yes, that's music. A little Fats Waller."

"I didn't know you had a stereo in your place," Vic commented.

"It's my parents' old record player. I found it in my closet when we were clearing things out."

"Oh," Vic said.

Walt looked back at Vic. "Are you alright?" Walt asked, stepping closer.

"Yeah…" Vic started. Walt placed his hand on her arm, causing her to look down. She saw his fingers encircle her wrist. Gentle. Soothing. "Well no, it's been kind of a rough day," she admitted, looking up, her eyes locking with his.

"Do you want to tell me about it?" he asked.

She wanted to say yes. She thought she might say no. She didn't say either.

Walt stepped beside her. Putting his hand at the small of her back, he guided her towards the cabin. But instead of sitting down in their usual place at the top of the steps, he steered her towards the right side of the porch. Vic looked over at him quizzically. He ushered her towards the far end and then stopped in front of something large that lay hidden beneath a cover.

"Take a look," Walt urged her.

A crease appeared between her eyes as she pondered the object, and then she hesitantly stepped forward. She reached out her hand, placing it on the corner of the material, and gave a pull.

"Oh Walt. It's beautiful. Perfect for your porch."

Walt smiled. "It's yours. I mean, it's for you."

Vic looked over at him. "For me?"

"For your birthday. A while back you commented about sitting on a porch swing and watching the sun set. It's not quite a swing. More a glider. I hope it will do."

Vic's eyes began to well up, which she tried to hide from Walt. She leaned over and slid her hand along the smooth wood.

"You remembered. My birthday. I thought you'd forgotten. You didn't say anything all day."

"You can usually read me like an open book. I wanted it to be a surprise, so I decided not to bring your birthday up until I could really celebrate it."

"Where did you find it?" Vic asked.

Walt paused.

"Oh…did you make it yourself?"

"Henry and I did."

"Where? I never saw you working on it."

"At Henry's place. In his workshop. So it would be a surprise. Plus he has all the cool tools," Walt said, smiling. Vic smiled in return.

"You guys did an amazing job."

"And there's another part of the surprise. Inside. And it should just about be done."

Vic raised an eyebrow, but followed Walt. When he opened the front door she was overwhelmed by the smell of something…wonderful.

"What? Is that…? You've got to be kidding me. Is that…pizza? Real pizza?" she asked, breathing in deeply. "Where the hell did you find real pizza in Absaroka County?" She rushed into the kitchen to peek into the oven.

"Holy crap! It looks like real pizza," she said looking back at Walt. "Seriously. Where did you get it?"

"Ah…Philadelphia."

"What? Wait…is this pizza from my uncle's restaurant?"

Walt smiled in confirmation.

"How the hell do you have my uncle's pizza cooking in your oven?"

"I called your mother to get your uncle's information. And then coordinated with him. I told him to make your favorite. He made it fresh, and then shipped it frozen overnight, with instructions of how to heat it up."

Vic was speechless. And her eyes had a bit of shine to them. Walt tried to read what she was thinking, but the oven timer went off, pulling him out of his thoughts.

Walt took the pizza out of the oven. He opened the fridge, pulled out two beers and a salad he had prepared and placed them on the kitchen table. And then stepped next to Vic, who had been staring at the stovetop. When he pulled out the pizza cutter, Vic looked over at him, and then over at the table.

"We're bringing this birthday dinner outside so I can eat on my birthday bench. I'm not missing my first sunset," she said with a smile.

Walt laughed in return. He divided up the pizza, and then placed a couple slices on each of their plates.

"Silverware?"

Vic scrunched up her face and shook her head. "Oh wait, I guess we'll need forks for the salad." Between the two of them, they brought their meal out to the porch, and then Walt returned. He opened up one of the windows so they could hear the music from outside, grabbed his cordless phone and then brought out the rest of the pizza and one of the kitchen chairs so he could rest the pizza on it. He placed the phone on the railing, telling Vic that he was expecting Ruby to call at some point.

They ate in companionable silence, their plates on their laps. Vic seemed to close her eyes and appreciate each bite. Walt couldn't help himself from watching her. She only caught him staring once. A fact he only felt slightly guilty about.

After numerous slices and a couple servings of salad, Vic finally came up for air. She gathered up her and Walt's empty plates and cans and brought them into the kitchen. She returned with two more beers. Walt looked up and smiled when Vic's fingers lingered on his when she passed him a Rainier. She sat back down, brought the can to her lips, and looked at Walt over the rim.

"Tell me about your day. Why was it so rough?" his voice low, his pace slow.

Vic scooted up both her legs onto the bench, placing her arm around her knees. "When our case involves the murder of a child, it just gets to me. More than usual. Tears me up inside that someone could do this. To a kid. I feel an extra burden to do all I can to find the killer. And extra frustration when we keep hitting dead ends. Toby deserves better than this. His family deserves an answer. Peace of mind."

Walt nodded.

Vic stared out before her, the sun hovering just above the horizon, the mix of red and yellow playing off the few clouds in the sky.

"The divorce papers arrived today. On my birthday," Vic said, still looking forward. "I am not re-thinking anything. I signed the papers immediately. It is the right decision to end our marriage. But I feel like a failure. All day I've been thinking that I am another year older, and have nothing to show for it. I couldn't keep my marriage together. I can't solve this frickin' case." She paused to take a sip of beer.

"And it all came to a head this afternoon," Vic said, her eyes growing moist. "When I was at the morgue, being walked through the autopsy results. The images are stuck in my head. Of Toby's small little body laid out on the table. On one side I had this self-doubt and feeling of failure, and on the other this disdain for mankind, and the things people will do to each other. Like murder an innocent child. So overall, kind of a crappy day."

Walt reached out and put his hand on top of hers.

Vic looked over. "Until now. You've restored my faith in the goodness of people, Walt," she said with an earnest smile. "You make me feel like I matter."

"You matter to me. To all of us. And you're not a failure. You've made a difference to every family you've brought closure to by solving the murder of their loved ones. We're going to figure out who killed Toby. Bring him justice."

Vic intertwined her fingers with Walt's. "Thanks," she said, squeezing his hand. They both looked back out at the setting sun, which was just moments away from disappearing. The silence that hovered between them was comforting. They sat quietly for a few minutes, watching the last of the sun's rays.

"So tell me…what did you think about Uncle Al's pizza? How did it rate against your finest pizza in Durant? Or what I call 'fake pizza'...looks like it could be pizza…has all the ingredients that should go on pizza…and somehow comes out tasting…not like pizza. But don't let me bias you. Tell me what you really think. But keep in mind that my uncle can probably hear you all the way from Philly. He has incredible hearing."

"I feel absolutely no pressure right now, so thanks for presenting a very neutral position," Walt said with a straight face. Vic laughed. "I'm kind of partial to Henry's pizza…" Walt started.

"Compared to the rest of the pizza options in the area, I am with you, Henry's sucks the least. But come on. It doesn't come close to that glorious masterpiece we just consumed."

Walt paused, as if he really needed to ponder his decision. He could no longer keep a straight face and smiled. "I could probably be convinced that this pizza may be deserving of all your praise these past couple of years."

"I will take that as a thumbs up for Uncle Al's pizza, with maybe a little reservation. We can get you over that, in time." She took his hand and swung it over her head and around her shoulders, leaning back against Walt, and extending her legs along the bench. Walt pulled her in closer, her head now resting on his shoulder.

"So Ruby was in cahoots with you," Vic said.

"What?"

"In your plot to get me over to your place without suspicion."

"Oh that. Yes."

"You better be careful…the whole Peter and the wolf thing. One of these days Ruby is going to call, and I am going to think it is just you trying to pull one over on me, and I'm not going to respond. And you are going to be somewhere in real need of my help, and I'm going to be drinking a beer from the comfort of my couch," Vic said, unable to hide the smile threating to break through. "I'm just saying…" she added.

"I'll keep Peter in mind in the future," he said with a smile.

"Good," she said. "Although I've got to admit, Ruby is always convincing, so I'm not sure I will ever doubt her."

She felt Walt nod behind her. She could feel his heartbeat through his chest, and found it reassuring. It lulled her into a comfortable silence.

"You should call me."

"What?" Vic said turning her head slightly to look up at him.

"If you ever feel like you were feeling today, you should call me. Or pull me aside at the office. Of stop by the cabin. I know what it is like to be in your head all day. How isolating that can be. How it magnifies everything. Sometimes you just need someone to listen. Or sit with. Make you feel like you're not in it alone. And that's what I can be for you. Someone to remind you that you matter."

She paused, continuing to look up at him. And him at her. "Ok," she said.

Suddenly Walt's cordless phone rang, making them both jump slightly.

Vic sat up, and Walt leaned forward and picked the phone off the railing.

"Hello," Walt answered. Someone on the other end spoke. "Uh huh," Walt said. The caller continued. "I will," he replied. The voice on the other end rattled on. "I won't," Walt said, suddenly laughing. "Thanks. Bye Ruby." He hung up and looked over at Vic.

"I am not supposed to tell you there is a third surprise for you. I'm just supposed to bring you to the Red Pony for a drink. But the gang is there, ready to surprise you with a party they've been pulling together, in honor of your birthday."

Vic paused. "They remembered too!"

"Everyone has been planning for your birthday for weeks. And no one wanted to blow the surprise so it looks like everyone avoided you today. Which may have backfired. But they are about to make it up to you, if you are up for it. Although I really need you to act surprised if you agree to go."

She smiled at Walt. "Sure."

Walt stood up, taking the phone and the two empty beer cans with him. He quickly stepped inside and placed them on the coffee table, turned off the record player and most of the lights, and then returned to join Vic at the top of the steps. They walked towards the Bronco, their sides rubbing together with each step.

When they reached the driver side, Walt turned to Vic. "Happy Birthday. Just realized I never said it. And you are going to be swallowed up by the others once we get to the bar. So just want to make sure I said it to you personally."

Vic suddenly grabbed Walt's shirt and pulled him to her, giving him a kiss. Soft. Brief. Without a word she released his lips and made her way to the other side of the car.

Surprised, Walt took a moment to gather himself before stepping into his vehicle and starting it up.

"Too bad we need to go to the Pony," Vic said, rolling down her window.

"What, you don't really want to go?" Walt asked.

"It's not that. I do want to go. But usually after having really good pizza I like to have really hot sex."

Walt stilled. Vic looked over at Walt who looked out the window before him.

"Don't freak out. I'm just kidding."

Walt paused. "I'm not freaking out," he finally said. "Just looking forward to the other four pizzas your uncle sent, that are in my freezer, ready to be heated up at a moment's notice. And I want to change my vote to an unqualified thumb up. No reservations. You're right, your uncle's pizza is unquestionably better than Henry's."

Vic's laughter rang out as the Bronco pulled away.


	12. Chapter 12

**Thanks for all the positive reviews! I really appreciate them. It seems many of you are just as involved in this story as I am. I am glad my characterizations ring true, and that you are enjoying the journey I am taking with Walt and Vic's relationship. Your feedback has also provided great motivation to keep writing (and to write faster). Sorry for the delay between this chapter and the last. I was out of town for work this week.**

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"Walt?" he heard Vic call out, followed by a knock on his front door. Walt didn't move. He sat on the edge of his bed, his elbows on his thighs.

He heard the screen door open. Heard Vic step into the cabin. "Walt?"

Walt breathed in. Released. "One minute," he finally responded.

"I got your message. You said you needed my help on something. What's up?"

Walt stood up. Approached his bedroom door. It was slightly ajar, but he refrained from opening it fully.

"I'm having dinner with Cady tonight. And I…uh…need your…advice on something," Walt responded, his voice carrying through the door opening.

There was no response from Vic. She was likely waiting for him to elaborate. He heard her start to pace in his living room.

"Cady…umm…bought me some new clothes…which I haven't worn yet. Thought maybe I should at least wear something she gave me tonight…but I'm not so sure about this."

"You're looking for some fashion advice?" Vic asked. He could almost hear the smile in her voice. "Well come on out here so I can weigh in."

Walt still did not emerge. His hand unmoving on the doorknob.

"Walt, I can't help you out if you are hidden behind a door. Get your ass out here, or I am coming in," Vic called out.

He slowly opened the door and cautiously stepped out. After a few steps he stopped. Lowered his gaze. Fidgeted. And then looked back up at Vic. Her smile frozen. Her eyes big.

"Shit," she whispered.

"Not good?"

"Not good," Vic finally said. "Really good. Not that you don't normally look good…but you look…wow…hot."

Walt stared back at her, and then down at his clothes. His hands went to his hips. And then down at his sides. And then back up again. He shifted his weight from foot to foot.

"I don't know…" he started.

"Walt, Cady did a really good job picking those out. Those jeans are extremely flattering. The dark color…and how well they fit you. Turn around."

"I'm not going to turn around."

"No seriously, turn around. Or I'm coming over there to see for myself."

Walt reluctantly turned around.

"Yep, as I suspected. You actually have a butt in those jeans." When Walt's eyes grew bigger, Vic clarified. "I just mean they are a good fit. And that shirt. Also a good fit. And it has two colors. And a pattern. I don't think I've seen you in a shirt with checks before. I'm not lying, Walt, you look amazing. But it's not too drastic. I think you can pull it off."

Walt pursed his lips, staring straight in front of him. His face conveyed that he was not sold on the idea. "I don't know if I'm comfortable wearing these…these jeans are kind of tight."

"Those are not tight jeans. I know tight jeans," she said with a smile. "Those are just cut a bit slimmer than your regular ones." She continued to look at him.

Walt turned to head back to his bedroom. "If you wear these tonight, I'll do something that I find challenging," Vic said, moving closer to where he was standing.

Walt stopped just outside his room. Turned. Looked back at Vic.

"Like what?" he asked.

Vic thought for a moment. "I'll give up cursing for a week."

Walt smiled at the thought of that. "I'd like to see that."

"You don't think I can quit swearing for a week? All you need to do is go to dinner for a couple hours, looking how you do now, and I'll do it."

Walt rubbed his hand along his chin. Vic stepped closer.

"Ok," he finally said. He ran his hand along the back of his hair, and then along his chin again. He leaned against the doorframe, locking eyes with Vic. They stood close. Unmoving for a moment.

"I can help with that," Vic volunteered.

A quizzical look crossed his face. "With what?"

She raised her hand to touch his hair, and then his cheek. "Trim your hair. Give you a shave. Clean you up. A new look to match your new look."

Walt raised his hand to touch his hair, and then her hand. Arched his eyebrow.

"What? I've cut my brothers' hair before. Your hair is still wet from your shower, so this should be pretty quick. Come on, I'll meet you out outside," she said over her shoulder as she headed toward the kitchen.

Chair in hand, she returned and walked out to the porch. Walt was still standing where she had left him. He followed her out. Setting down the chair, she spread out a plastic garbage bag on the floor behind it. She turned around to find him watching her.

"Take this off," she said, pointing at Walt's shirt. His eyebrow arched again. "Keep the t-shirt on, but I don't want to mess up that shirt." Vic went back inside and came out with the items she needed, which she placed along the railing. Walt stood in his t-shirt, once again fidgeting. Taking his arm, she guided him to sit.

Vic stood in front of him, and then stepped between his legs, running her hands through his hair. Walt's eyes closed for a moment and then opened, watching her movements. She stepped back, and then walked behind him, scissors in hand. He felt her fingertips skim the back of his neck.

"Ready?" she asked.

Walt nodded.

For the next couple minutes Vic trimmed his hair in silence.

"I'm kind of surprised Cady was even able to get you to accept some new items to your wardrobe," Vic commented after a while.

"She got me to agree to keep the new clothes she added to my closet. Under the umbrella of Henry's 'Let's improve ourselves plan.' I'll admit I was skeptical regarding whether I would ever wear them."

"What changed your mind?" Vic asked, as she focused on his right side, trimming the hair outlining his ear."

Walt glanced over at her without comment, before Vic took his face and re-directed it straight forward.

"She reminded me to be more open. Something a certain someone encouraged me to work on first. I guess I took it to heart."

"Glad to hear you listen to me from time to time," Vic said with a smile. "And I'm glad to see you being more open," she said, continuing with the task at hand.

"I probably should warn you, I don't think my brothers quite trusted me with a pair of scissors. Their willingness to let me cut their hair probably had more to do with saving a buck or two, which overrode their concern that was I was going to do something disastrous with their hair," she said with a laugh.

"Should I be concerned?" Walt asked, trying his best not to turn his head to look back at Vic.

"Yep," Vic said, with a laugh. "But too late for that. You can always wear your hat if you don't like the outcome." Walt let out a laugh.

A few more minutes passed in silence. Vic stepped to both sides to work on shaping his sideburns, both the scissors and razor in hand.

"I love your sideburns," she commented, almost to herself. Walt wondered if she realized she had said that out loud.

Once again she stepped in front of Walt, glancing from side to side to determine if the hair and sideburns were even. He felt her legs rub against his as she leaned in.

"…although I may regret this."

"What?" he asked, realizing he hadn't heard everything she'd just said.

"Women will be hitting on you tonight…with you looking this good. Not sure how I feel about that."

"Vic, stop it."

"I'm not kidding. I predict that women will be staring at you when you walk in to the restaurant."

"Don't be ridiculous."

"I'm not. In fact, I am willing to bet you that you will turn heads." She looked Walt in the eye. "Up for a little wager?" she said, a smile lighting her face.

Walt looked back at her for a moment. "What kind of wager?" he asked.

Vic thought about it for a moment. "If I'm right…that you gain the attention of the women in the room… you owe me a home cooked meal. I've never seen you cook before, so that would be fun."

Walt remained quiet for a moment. "And what do I get? If I get no reaction from the room?" Walt asked.

"What do you want?"

"I'll ask for my own home cooked meal. But with you doing the cooking."

Vic leaned over, put down the scissors and picked the shaving cream can off the railing. She filled her palm, and then began to lather his chin up.

"In fact, I bet that not only will you be turning heads, but at least one of those woman is going to make a pass at you this evening."

"Another bet?" Walt asked. An intake of breath as Vic leaned in close, razor in hand. His eyes watched her as she looked upon him, her face contorting in concentration. She made her first pass with the razor. Again his eyes closed for a moment. Her felt her breath on his neck.

"If I win, I get to drive. Anytime we are in the car together for the next week."

He considered her statement. "And when I win, no radio in the Bronco. No comments on being bored or the pace of traffic," Walt countered. "For the whole week." Vic glanced up at his eyes, a smile appearing.

"I sense a surge of confidence. Of course I have the upward hand right now since I am looking at the face that is going to win this for me," she said with a laugh. She continued her progress with the razor.

"One final bet," she added. "I bet that one of those woman gives you her number at some point."

"Well that's not likely to happen," he commented. "So safe bet. What's on the line?"

"You pick first," Vic said.

He pondered his opportunity for a moment. "Anytime you're around Omar for the next month, you need to be pleasant to him….smile when he calls you 'Vickie.'"

"You want me to flirt with Omar?" she asked, a devious smile on her face.

"I didn't say flirt…I said be pleasant."

"And I shouldn't be surprised if the number of cases you need him to consult on suddenly goes up for the next month, should I?"

"I do sense that we will have a good number of cases where an expert on hunting and firearms may be needed," Walt agreed with a smile.

"It's interesting how you can see into the future and know which types of criminal acts, not yet committed, will occur," Vic said with a laugh.

"It's just a feeling. I get those every now and then."

"You just want to see me squirm," she said, lightly jabbing him in the shoulder. He smiled in return. "Ok. If that is the case, if I win, then we are going dancing."

The smile dropped from Walt's face. "I can make you squirm too," she said proudly. "Since you didn't dance with us at The Pony for my birthday, we're going to have to make up for that. But you are not concerned, right? You said it was a safe bet. Since no woman could possibly want your phone number."

Walt looked upon Vic for a moment. "Ok, you're on. But how are we going to confirm the bets. Are you going to trust me when I say that no one gave me a second look, no one approached me, and definitely no one gave me her number?"

"Hell no. Cady will be my witness." Vic looked down at the shaving cream and razor in her hands. "Grab my phone out of my back pocket."

"What?"

"Get my phone. We need to call Cady."

With some initial hesitation, Walt reached back and retrieved Vic's phone.

"Call Cady. Put her on speaker," Vic said, pointing to the button he would need to press. Walt dialed.

After a couple rings, Cady picked up.

"Hey Vic," Cady's voice came through the phone.

"Hey Cady," she said, standing up straight. "Walt and I have a few wagers going on, and we need you to be the impartial judge. Walt's looking rather dapper this evening, so I bet him that he would be making women across Absaroka County swoon tonight, while you are out to dinner."

"What do you need me to do?" Cady asked without pause.

"I need you to determine, one, if he turns heads at the restaurant tonight, two, if any woman approaches him and makes a pass, and three, if any woman gives him her digits. Walt is a completely unreliable witness, as he will likely be oblivious to the impact he is having, or recognize that a woman is trying to hit on him. Up for helping me out with this?"

Cady let out a laugh. "Absolutely. Dapper you say? This is going to be fun to watch."

"I'm feeling like the cards are already stacked against me," Walt said.

"I will be completely unbiased. I'll just observe what I see happening around me."

"Thanks Cady," Vic said with a laugh.

"No problem. Looking forward to it. I'll text you any updates."

"Unbiased, you say. I get a strong sense that 'unbiased' will not be an accurate description for you tonight," Walt said.

Cady laughed. "See you in a bit, Dad. I'm leaving for the restaurant in about five minutes. 'Bye Vic," she added and then hung up.

"Wow, I used to worry about Henry and Cady being in cahoots. Now I have to worry about the two of you two," he said smiling at Vic, returning her phone to her back pocket while Vic finished up her work with the razor.

Vic stood up, appraising her efforts. Using a towel, she wiped off the remaining shaving cream. She held her phone up for Walt to look at himself in the mirror. Running the outside of her right hand along his cheek, she smiled at the smoothness. "See even I can't keep my hands off you. You are going to be fighting the off."

Walt placed his right hand along Vic's hip, dropped his smile, and looked her straight in the eyes.

"I honestly don't think I will be turning heads. But I can guarantee that no one will be turning mine," he told her.

Vic placed her hands on both sides of his face, and then leaned down, her face close to his.

"I know," she said.

Walt brought his other hand up to her side, tugging her closer. Her lips grazed his. She started to pull back but he reached up with his hand and brought her face back down, their lips re-connecting. Their kiss deepening. The feel of her hair, lightly tickling his cheek. The sensation of her fingers, following a path through his hair to his neck. He brought his hand back down to encircle her waist, and hold her to him. Vic finally broke the kiss, pulling back slightly, her forehead pressed against his.

"You need to head out. Cady's expecting you," she said, her voice low. He nodded, but didn't make an effort to move. After a moment, Vic stepped out of his embrace and picked up his shirt from the railing.

Walt stood, and took the shirt from her, slipping it on. Vic reached up and started buttoning it. Walt watched her face as she focused on her task. When she finished she looked back up at him and smiled. He tucked in the shirt. Vic ran her hand along the material to smooth it out.

"Hot," she said with a smile. "I'm thinking about what I want you to make me for dinner."

"And I'm envisioning how excited Omar is going to be when you don't smack him when he uses one of his nicknames for you."

"Dream on," she said, lightly smacking his arm with a smile.

They headed down the steps towards their trucks. When they neared hers, he stopped and turned towards her. Vic briefly ran her hand along his shirt again, smiling. She stepped up and gave a final, lingering kiss.

"Just something for you to remember, when all those women are hitting on you."

Walt leaned in, his lips near her ear. "I won't have a problem remembering. And just to confirm, these pants ARE too tight."

Vic laughed as he walked towards his truck.


	13. Chapter 13

**Once again, thanks for all the feedback! You motivated me to try to write faster, although this chapter was not written as quickly as I had hoped. Writing 'earnest Walt' takes a lot out of me. :)**

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Walt sat down gently in the middle of the couch, near the edge. He looked over at Vic, who was stretched out, sleeping. He wondered how a woman, so full of energy, passion and life, could look so peaceful in sleep. He wondered how someone young and beautiful could be interested in an old, rumpled soul like himself. He wondered when the other shoe would drop, and she would see through him. Past him. To greener pastures. A more logical fit.

Using his left hand, he attempted to tuck the strands of her hair that were draped in front of her face behind her ear without waking her. At his touch, Vic stirred slightly. Walt froze. Caught with his hand still touching her face. The sound of his beating heart hammering in his ears. There was no way she could sleep through that.

"I'm not asleep," Vic said, her eyes still closed. "I'm just resting my eyes."

"That's what I assumed," Walt said with a light laugh.

"I didn't want to be staring at you while you washed the dishes, so I closed my eyes to give you some privacy. I know how daunting cleaning up the kitchen can be under the watchful eye of someone not lifting a finger to help."

"There is a lot of pressure when you're under the microscope like that," Walt agreed with a smile. "I could have easily dropped a plate or two if you hadn't been so considerate."

"It was a hard thing to do. Closing my eyes on you. Especially when you stripped down to just your t-shirt to do the dishes. But I sacrificed my own enjoyment for the better good."

"The better good thanks you. And you didn't miss much of a show. My dishwashing skills are not talked about in larger circles as they are a bit rusty. You don't get a lot of practice cooking for one."

"Plus you were able to complete the task in record time without me distracting you."

"Record time. Hmm. How long do you think you were not sleeping for?" Walt asked.

Vic's eyes popped open. "What time is it?"

"You've had your eyes closed for almost an hour."

Vic's eyebrows slanted in concern. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean for that to happen. You should have woken me up. What terrible company I've been."

"It seemed like you needed the sleep." He wanted to say that he'd enjoyed watching her sleep, but he kept that fact to himself. "It's exhausting being waited on. I feel pretty refreshed from all the prep, cooking and clean-up I did, but I can see how the whole thing could be taxing on you," Walt said, trying to hide his smile.

Vic smiled up at him, shifting from lying on her side, to lying on her back. Her hip now in contact with him. Walt stopped himself from reaching out. From touching the strip of skin exposed at the base of her shirt. He shifted a bit to the left, to face her more directly, lifting his left knee up on the cushion.

"All kidding aside. I know I said this already, but the meal was fantastic. Where did you learn how to cook like that?" she asked.

"You're giving me more credit for my cooking skills than I deserve. I have a few meals in my repertoire. Which I've had a lot of practice making since I believe in the whole 'if it's not broke, don't fix it' way of doing things. Anything above and beyond that is outside my comfort zone."

"Regardless, I was impressed with the meal. Worth giving up swearing for a week. Feel free to practice on me with that one, or anything else in your repertoire, whenever you want," she added with a beaming smile. Although he wouldn't admit it to her, Walt had been happy to take and lose their first bet. He had considered it a win-win.

They sat there in silence for a bit, each taking the other in. "You've been kind of quiet this week," Vic said as she watched him closely. "My gloating, for my three victories, didn't seem to ruffle your feathers. And you weren't tossing any ammunition my way, trying to make me slip, and let a swear word fly."

"I was enjoying the curse-free week. You have a lot less to say when you have to filter every word that comes out of your mouth before you start speaking. It was a very peaceful week. Especially for the ears of the citizens of Absaroka County." Vic gave his nearby knee a jab, causing Walt to laugh.

Walt lifted his hand to brush aside the strands of hair that had fallen in front of her face again. Closing her eyes for a moment, Vic brought her hand up and covered his. Walt's eyes drifted to her hand. Roamed across her face. Locked in on her eyes as they re-opened.

"Hey," Walt said, his voice gravelly.

"Hey."

After a pause Vic sat up, placing her left cheek against the outside of his left shoulder, threading her arm through his, and holding on to the back side of his upper arm. She closed her eyes for a moment, breathing in deeply. Walt's breathing slowed, in sync with hers. Lifting her head, she leaned in, placing her lips lightly against his. She released his lips and then looked him in the eyes, her hand now resting on his knee. "Thanks for tonight," she said, removing her hand and slowly laying back, assuming her previous position on the couch. Her eyes dark as they looked back up at him. Walt felt his breath hitch. The fact that he already missed the warmth of her hand on his knee registered somewhere in his brain.

Walt lifted himself up, cautiously, placing his knees and then lower body carefully between her legs. Leaning forward, he placed a hand just below each of her shoulders. Their eyes connected as he lowered his face, his lips hovering just above hers. He felt her breath, warm against his skin. Vic raised her hand to his neck, her eyes still locked with his. Her thumb lightly caressing circles against his cheek. She lifted her head and closed the gap, capturing his lips with hers, her eyes closing. Their kiss was slow, tentative, as they explored each other's mouth. Vic's lips soft against his.

Walt brought his lower left arm down against the couch, shifting his weight to this side. He raised his right hand to her face, and then ran his fingers through her hair. Vic wrapped one arm around his lower back, and the other near his shoulders, her hand resting at the back of his neck, pressing him closer. Their kiss deepened. Became more heated.

Vic slid the arm at his lower back further down, running her fingers against the skin above his jeans and below the hem of his t-shirt. Her hand then traveled up his back, inside his shirt, her fingers tracing a path up his skin, sending a shiver up his spine. When her fingertips encountered one of his scars, Walt released her lips and pulled back slightly, his eyes drifting from hers. Vic lowered the hand on his back, and then used her other hand to encourage him to bring his eyes back to hers.

Walt shifted even further to his left, and Vic scooted back closer to the edge, turning slightly, so they lay side by side. He ran his right hand down her side and then along her hip. As his hand returned on its path back up her body he encountered the skin now exposed above her jeans. The bare skin that had called to him just moments ago. He hesitated for a moment, and then splayed his fingers across her ribs, pulling her tight against him. The warmth of her skin penetrated his calloused hand. The smoothness, inviting. Causing his hand to now roam to her back. Vic wove her fingers in his hair, dragging his face closer, and his lips back on hers. As their kiss intensified, Vic lowered her hand down Walt's chest, and then lower. When it reached his belt, she paused, and then moved her fingers to start loosening his buckle. Walt's hand came up and stilled her progress. He pulled back, his breathing unsteady. A crease formed between Vic's eyebrows as she looked upon him. Dropping his gaze, Walt used his hand to push himself up to a seating position.

Walt rested his lower arms on his thighs, and looked down at his hands. Vic lay silently, looking over at him. She finally sat up, swinging her feet to the floor so she could sit beside him. Walt looked over at her and saw hurt, confusion and concern in her gaze. Reaching a couple fingers out, he grabbed her pinky, dragging her right hand over to his knee. He intertwined their fingers, looking down at their joined hands.

"Stopping…now…is not because I don't want this…I do," Walt finally said, barely above a whisper, breaking the silence. "I can't even begin to tell you how much I do. But I'm just not ready…for this…yet," he said, squeezing her hand.

"These past three years…since Martha…I've only been with one other woman…once. And it wasn't about her, or us. It was about me. About needing an outlet for my anxiety, my stress, my frustration…during the election. I regretted it afterwards because I didn't feel for Lizzie the way she wanted me to…the way she deserved. I couldn't let her in."

"But with you…this…is something significant. This means a great deal to me. Sex…that kind of intimacy…changes a relationship. And I want to be ready for that change. I want to be open. Let you in. Into my heart, which I've been protecting for so long. And if we rush this, I may not be ready for you. For what we could be, together." Walt looked back over at Vic. "I hope you can be patient with me. And that I'm not ruining this. Because I've never wanted anything more. To be ready for you." He looked back at their intertwined fingers. Silence settled in.

"I could use some fresh air," Walt finally said, releasing her hand and standing up. He walked past her, in the direction of the front door. When he reached the edge of the couch he turned back towards her, extending his hand out.

Without hesitation, Vic raised her hand and placed it in his, letting him pull her to a standing position. With joined hands, they walked out to the porch, and sat down at the top step, side-by-side.

"You're right. I've been in my head a lot this past week. I'm sorry for that, but it's been my usual way of operating for so long. To internalize everything. It's a hard habit to break," he said as he looked out into the darkness before him.

"As I've said before, I second guess myself, and doubt easily. When I experience happiness I wonder when I will mess things up. Last week. When I was at dinner with Cady, she was shocked that I showed up in my new clothes. I was shocked myself. That I had been willing to do that. And I realized I did it for you. Because I wanted to be a better man. A different man. For you. And that excited and scared me."

"This week, I started thinking about the people most important to me. Cady. Henry. You," Walt continued.

"With Cady, if I screw up, which I often do, there is a blood bond that enables us to find our way back to each other. And with Henry, our 40 years as friends gives each of us a great deal of latitude. To make mistakes and push the boundaries, without the need to say you are sorry or ask for forgiveness." Walt looked over at Vic, and then back out in front of him.

"But with you, it is different. We are so new. And even though I feel I know you, and understand you, I can't always read you. Read where I stand. Define where our boundaries are. So I think that I will push you too far. Push you away. With my moments of sullenness. My unquiet mind that I don't easily share. My tendency to withdraw when I'm pushed outside my comfort zone."

"Our friendship and what we have right now means so much to me. I don't want to mess things up, as I seem to do with so many things I touch. I don't quite understand what you see in me, and I worry that, in time, you won't understand it either. It's not our age difference, so much, as our life stage difference that concerns me. You have your career before you. You may want a family someday. You may want to move away from this small town for new opportunities. You may tire of my old bones."

"But despite all these fears, that would usually cause me to put a wall up, and not let you in, I want to explore the possibilities with you. A future with you. But I want to take it slowly. Not rush things. So that I can make the changes I need to make…to take this journey…together."

"And I want to open up more. Tell you more. Let you in. I want to start by letting you ask me questions. Anything you want to know," Walt said, turning towards Vic. "Go ahead. Ask."

Vic paused as she looked Walt directly in the eye.

"How did you get the scars on your back?" she finally asked.

"I went to confront the man who killed my wife. Miller Beck. His buddies beat the crap out of me. One of them had a knife. Henry was also in Denver, and ended up saving my life."

Vic took in Walt's response and pondered her next question.

"What stopped you from killing Jacob Nighthorse?"

"You. And Cady. And Branch. I was on my way to kill Nighthorse, for what I believed he had done, when I heard a gunshot. When I arrived at the scene, and learned what had happened between Branch and Barlow, I realized how much Martha's murder had touched everyone. It was a cancer that would only continue to spread if another murder occurred. And I didn't want to do that to you and Cady. It needed to end, then and there."

Another moment of silence as she considered her next words.

"Why did you challenge Chance to a duel? And don't tell me it was your responsibility as Sheriff."

"I felt responsible for you being in that situation. And I felt that your life was more important than mine. And in that moment, I would do anything to ensure your safety, even if it meant sacrificing my own."

Vic's next question came out with little hesitation. "What was your impression of me, when we first met?"

"Trouble. In every sense of the word," Walt said, finally smiling. "You were probably going to stir things up. You were probably going to challenge my way of doing things and thinking about things. You were probably going to be better at my job someday than I would ever be. You were probably going to leave us when a better offer came your way. And you were probably going to distract the heck out of me. And let me say, I'm pretty good at reading people…and just over two years later, and I don't feel my read of things was that far off. Victoria 'Trouble' Moretti."

"When are you going to pay up on the other two bets you lost?" Vic asked, a smile lighting both her face and her eyes.

"We can start your driving week whenever you want. We'll have to work our way up to the dancing. As I said, there are things we should just not rush," he responded, his smile growing further.

"I don't want us to rush anything either, Walt. So I'm willing to go slowly, as long as we continue to move forward, and we are in it together." She placed her head on his shoulder. "If I can give up swearing for a week, and you can go out in public in new clothes well outside your comfort zone, anything is possible. We'll have you…dancing…in no time."


	14. Chapter 14

Vic was sipping her coffee when her cell phone rang. She looked over to see her mother's name displayed on the screen.

"Mother. Do you know what time it is?" Vic answered.

There was a pause from the other end. "I still seem to forget you are on Mountain time. Sorry. Did I wake you?"

Vic smiled into the phone. "No. But I don't want you to make this a habit, so I thought I would remind you."

"I can call you back at a more respectable time."

"No. It's fine. I've got coffee in hand, so I should be waking up any moment now. What's up?" Vic asked.

"I was just calling to see if you are coming home for Thanksgiving."

"Thanksgiving? As in November? Which is months away?"

"Well, everyone's schedules are always so crazy. It's hard to get…I just thought if I could confirm you were coming, I might get your brothers to all commit."

"Oh. Well…" Vic hesitated. "Can I give you a strong maybe? I don't know what my plans are yet…I have to check with…I have to check my work schedule. See if I can get the time off. Can I get back to you once I have a more solid answer?"

"Yes. I just wanted to throw the idea out there while you hadn't made plans yet."

"Ok. Let me check schedules, and I'll get back to you once I know for sure. Was that the real reason you called?" Vic asked.

"It was the main reason. But I also wanted to check in. See how you were doing. How was your party?"

"My party?"

"Your surprise birthday party."

"You knew about my birthday party?" Vic smiled to herself. "Of course you did. How did you manage to find out about it?"

"When Walt called for Al's number, he told me about it. Made me promise to keep it hush, hush. Along with the whole pizza delivery he was planning. Were you surprised?"

"Very!" Vic laughed. "I thought everyone forgot my birthday. It was very sweet what Walt…what everyone did."

A pause as Vic chose her next words. "Mom. I wanted to tell you something. Walt and I…we're…" Vic started, but trailed off.

"I know."

"What do you mean you know?" Vic asked. "What do you know? What else did Walt tell you when he called? He can't possibly have been that chatty, even with you."

"He didn't tell me anything. When I visited, I just saw how the two of you were with each other. How his eyes would follow you that night at the bar, when you weren't looking. How you leaned in when the two of you talked. And when he called and described his plans for your birthday, I just knew something had happened between the two of you."

"I…Walt isn't the reason Sean and I broke up. I want you to know that. Walt and I happened after Sean and I separated. Sean and I weren't working long before Walt showed up on the scene."

"I know that. I could tell you and Walt were still dancing around each other when I saw you together, and that you might not even be aware of or be in denial of how you felt. So how did you figure it out? Who made the first move?"

"We…it just kind of happened. Gradually. No one made a specific move."

"Uh huh. Well I'm glad you two figured it out."

"You don't think it's too soon? Walt and me? Too soon after Sean and I ended things?"

"Vic, I just want you to be happy. I know you haven't been happy with Sean for a long time. So if you are happy, I don't think it's too soon. Are you happy?"

"Yes, Mom. I'm happy," Vic said quietly, a smile appearing that her Mom could not see, but could probably hear in her voice.

"Good. Well I'll leave you to whatever I interrupted when I called."

"You didn't interrupt anything. I just got to Walt's place. We're going hiking this morning and are waiting for Henry to come pick us up. I'm sitting on his front steps trying to pump caffeine into my system. You know that I'm not a morning person."

"I do," she said with a laugh. "You must be happy if he's able to convince you to go hiking at this time of the day. Well I won't keep you from your morning coffee."

"Thanks. And it was good…catching up."

"I enjoyed it. And, Vic?"

"Yes?" Vic responded.

"Tell Walt 'hello' and let him know he's invited for Thanksgiving too."

"Mother!" Vic said with a laugh. "I'll call you when I confirm my schedule. I promise. 'Bye"

"Goodbye Vic."

Vic laughed to herself as she hung up, and placed her phone back on the step beside her.

She heard the screen door open, and the sound of Walt's footsteps approaching. She looked up as he sat down beside her, two bowls of cereal and a cup of coffee in his hands.

"A smile on your face. At 5:30 am. Who were you talking to that made you forget you aren't particularly fond of mornings?" Walt said, handing her one of the bowls.

Vic playfully slapped Walt's knee. "That was my mother. She says 'hello.' She wants to know what magic you possess that you can convince me to go hiking at this ungodly hour." She looked down at the cereal in her bowl. "Hey. My favorite. How did you know?"

"I saw a box of it on your kitchen counter last time I was over," he replied. Vic looked up and watched as he placed a spoonful in his mouth.

"What?" he asked when he sensed that she was staring at him.

"Nothing," she said, shaking her head and focusing on her own bowl.

Walt paused and looked closely at Vic's face. "Do you still want to go hiking? Is this too early for you?"

Vic smiled at him. "I do. I'm almost awake. Plus, I get to see you in something other than cowboy boots," she said, looking down at his hiking boots. "Whose idea was this, anyway?"

"Henry's. Part of his "improve ourselves" plan is getting us, or more like me, back in to shape. We've been doing some running and hiking."

"Really?"

"Yep. Right now I am in the pitiful, can't-catch-my-breath-just-five-minutes-in phase…but I hope to get it up to seven minutes any day now," Walt said smiling. "With you joining us for our hike, I may forget it's actually a workout," he laughed. "Maybe. You are going to have to try extra hard to be distracting."

"Ok. I'm sure I'll think of something," she said with a devilish grin.

"I'm sure you will," Walt returned.

Vic continued to look over at Walt. "Do you wear jeans when you run?" Vic asked, trying not to smile. "And your cowboy boots?"

"Depends on the weather," Walt said.

He looked over at Vic. "Henry picked me up some running shoes. So I wouldn't have any excuses. I already had a pair of sweat pants."

"You will have to model them for me sometime."

Walt smiled into his coffee cup as he brought it to his lips. "Maybe. When I am able to run for thirty minutes without feeling like my lungs are going to burst, I might be ready to flash you some leg."

Vic laughed and took a sip of her coffee.

After a moment she turned towards him. "Hey Walt?"

"Yep."

"I…I told my mother about…us."

"Oh yeah?" Walt swallowed his coffee. "How did she react?"

"She said she already knew."

Walt looked at her quizzically.

"She said that you told her all about it when you called her for Uncle Al's number and chatted her up."

"I did, did I?"

"Yes. You told her that you hired me because you thought I was hot."

"Hotness is one of the unwritten, less-talked about criteria in my hiring checklist. Ferg and Branch can attest to that," Walt said with a straight face.

"That you kept me on, despite all of my shenanigans, including the shit-storm with Gorski, because you didn't want to deal with the paperwork of firing my ass."

"I don't like paperwork, that's true," Walt said as he nodded in agreement.

"That you dueled a crazy man to save my life, because it was the right thing to do."

"As I said, I am here to serve and protect. Especially when the individual in jeopardy is my hot deputy, and I don't want to do paperwork should she perish."

"And that you fell for me when I got drunk and puked on your porch."

"Hmm. Is that what I said? I might need to challenge you on that."

"You didn't fall for me?"

Walt looked Vic in the eye. "It's the timing I need to challenge you on."

"Oh yeah. When did you fall for me?"

Walt looked down at the cup of coffee in his hands. "Truth be told, I probably fell for you from the start. But I was in denial for a long while. And when I finally started to acknowledge it, I had to keep pushing my feelings down. Since you were married, and I still had a lot of…darkness…that I was dealing with. And during those times when I couldn't push them down…I pushed you away. When you told me that you and Sean had separated…that was the first time I admitted to myself that I might want…and be able to have…something…more. But I definitely fell for you long before the puking."

Vic looked at Walt until he looked up. Their eyes connected.

"I fell for you well before the puking, too," Vic said.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. I don't think it registered, at all, until Lizzie confronted you about it in front of me, that night I was sleeping on your couch. And once it registered, I didn't think that you felt that way for me, so I kept dismissing it as a crush."

"I kept trying to make things work with Sean, and pushing thoughts of you away, but Sean's and my problems had nothing to do with you. After Sean showed you the picture Gorski sent, of you and me standing outside our motel rooms, Sean admitted that he didn't think we were having an affair. But he said that I looked happier in that picture with you, just talking, than I ever was with him. So I think Sean realized, before I did, the connection that you and I had. And when we were held captive, there was a moment, when the two of us were locked in the basement, where Sean admitted that he had called you. And I felt this…relief…wash over me. That if you knew we were in trouble, that you would come for us. And then we heard a gunshot, and they dropped this body bag into the basement, and I went kind of crazy…thinking they had killed you. And Sean watched me lose it…and confirmed his suspicions…that I felt more for you than I felt, or possibly ever felt, for him."

"And that was kind of the beginning of the end for the two of us. It kind of forced us to directly deal with the fact that our relationship wasn't working, had been broken for a long time, and was beyond fixing. So I fell for you a long time ago. But I fell for you all over again once Sean and I separated, and I finally allowed myself to…"

Walt leaned in and captured her lips with his. When he finally pulled back, he saw a gleam in Vic's eyes.

"I see the caffeine finally kicked in," Walt said.

"Caffeine. Or some other stimulant," she replied.

"Hmm. I'll keep that in mind the next time you're having a cranky morning."

They both turned to look at the view before them, lost in silence for a moment.

"Who…who have you told about us?" Vic asked.

Walt looked over at Vic.

"Just Henry and Cady," he responded.

"We've never really discussed who we were going to tell…and when we were going to tell them."

"I've been…uh…thinking about that lately. What do think? Are you ready to tell others?" Walt asked.

"I've kind of liked keeping us…to ourselves…for a while…while we figure things out. Without everyone being in our business. But I knew at some point we wouldn't be able to keep this to ourselves," Vic said. "What with us working together. And spending more time together. And you being elected, and a public figure."

"I think Ruby should know, sooner than later," Walt said. "With her dispatch responsibilities, and me not having a cell phone, she may need to reach me when I'm with you, but not at home. It would probably be a good idea for her to know how to get ahold of me."

"So you are using me to extend your cell phone accessibility beyond your work hours, without having to get your own phone?" Vic asked, broadcasting a smile.

"Absolutely."

"Ok. Just confirming," she said with a laugh.

"Are you ok with me telling Ruby? I don't think she would tell anyone else. Plus I think she already knows."

"She does?"

"She has worked with me for years. She's very observant. Probably saw something between us before we even did. Plus, she probably senses I am not my usual moody self recently," Walt admitted.

"I think you should tell her."

"And I was thinking we should tell Ferg and Branch, since they might start putting two-and-two together if we leave or come in at the same time…" Walt said.

"Or get caught snogging," Vic laughed. She saw Walt tense a bit. "I'm kidding. I know that we should keep any PDA at bay while in uniform. But sometimes you are just so irresistible," she said with a smile.

"Vic, we're going to have to separate Walt and Vic from Sheriff Longmire and Deputy Moretti when we are on the job. For our credibility. Our safety…"

"I get it Walt. I do. I was just joking," looking him straight in the eye.

Walt nodded. "Ok."

"I think Branch already has his suspicions," Vic added. "He already blamed me for having a 'special relationship' with you, well before anything happened between us."

"I think I need to be the one to tell him. Given your recent tensions, and the fact that I'm his boss. And your boss. And to deal head-on with any issues he might have with this."

"I have no idea if Ferg suspects. Or how he'll respond," Vic said.

"I think it would just be good not to keep anything from him. Like we've done so much these past months."

"I agree," Vic said. "And maybe we should tell Omar. So he stops asking me out and flirting with me all the time. He seemed to think me being married wasn't a hurdle, but maybe you'll be a more imposing figure."

Walt laughed. "Especially once I get up to running 30 minutes without feeling like I have to puke. My physical presence should easily put him in his place."

"I might tell Lucian too," Walt added. "Given my history with him, I think I owe him that. But everyone else sees me first and foremost as Sheriff Longmire, instead of Walt Longmire, so I think we can hold off with them for a while."

Vic nodded, finished the last of her cereal, put her bowl down and looked back at Walt.

"When you tell everyone, how are you going to describe us? Are we dating? Am I your girlfriend? Are we exclusive?"

Walt paused to consider Vic's question. "Dating seems like something people do to get to know each other...which we already do," he said slowly. "I think I will tell them that you and I are seeing each other. That it's serious. And leave it at that. As for exclusive…there's no one else for me…" Walt said.

"Or me," Vic cut in.

"Good." Walt smiled warmly at Vic.

"Good," Vic replied, a smile matching his on her face.

Suddenly Vic's cell phone buzzed. She looked down to read the text message that she'd received.

"Looks like Henry is on his way and should be here in five minutes. I've got snacks, water bottles, extra socks, a map, a small first aid kit and a jacket in my backpack? Anything else you want to add?"

"That's my pile over there," he said, pointing to some items next to the front door. "I'll just need to grab my hat before we go. We can leave my water bottles in Henry's truck, so they are waiting for us when we are done."

"So that leaves a few extra minutes where I can start distracting you from realizing you will actually be getting a workout today."

"Oh yeah? What kind of distraction did you have in mind?"

"Hmm," Vic said, taking a moment to think. "Well, option A, I have a deck of cards," Vic offered, scooting a little closer to Walt.

"I don't think we could finish a game in five minutes."

"Option B, we could review the map Henry provided, and identify all the spots you will need to take a rest," Vic said, scooting up to Walt's side.

"Hmm. Since you will be distracting me, I won't need to be taking as many rest breaks, so I don't think we need to plan those in advance," Walt said.

"Option C…" Vic started.

Walt leaned in close, his lips hovering in front of hers. "What did you call it…snogging. I think that is a very acceptable option," he said smiling, his breath warm on her face.

"I agree," she said, leaning in further and claiming his lips.


	15. Chapter 15

"What?" Walt asked.

"I did not say anything," Henry responded, looking over at Walt and then back at the road.

"You are not saying anything very loudly," Walt commented.

"That loud sound is your own mind whirring," Henry replied.

Vic stirred against Walt's shoulder, but her eyes stayed closed in sleep.

"Not a word," Walt warned Henry.

"Again, I did not say anything," Henry said with a laugh.

"But you were thinking it. And whatever you were thinking, you need to keep that to yourself," looking out the front window of Henry's truck.

"I was not thinking anything other than I am pleased that my friend Walt finally seems to have found some happiness."

Walt looked over at Henry.

"You two seemed very at ease with each other during our hike and at the bar tonight, and I am just happy that you have been able to make progress with your Vic."

"She's not MY Vic."

"I would beg to differ," Henry said, looking at Vic, curled up against Walt's left side. Walt looked down upon Vic's head and then back out the window.

They continued the remaining few minutes of the drive in silence, until Henry pulled up in front of Walt's place. Vic's bag sat at Walt's feet, which he handed to Henry, along with his extra water bottles and his keys, and then opened the passenger side door. Henry went ahead, placed the backpack and water bottles down on the porch, and then unlocked the front door. He held the screen door as Walt and a very tired Vic walked up the front steps.

"Just lie down on the couch and I'll be ready in a few minutes to drive you home," Walt said to Vic. The cabin was completing dark, but he could make out Vic's already prone form from the small amount of light coming through the front door. He placed a blanket on her, walked over to the bathroom, turned on the light, and then left the door open a crack. Satisfied he would be able to see when he returned inside without the light disturbing Vic's rest, he went out to the porch where Henry waited.

Henry looked in at Vic, and then back at Walt. "I AM happy for you. And proud of you. I am not saying this in a condescending or sarcastic way. I really am proud. And hopeful for myself. Before we cleared my name, I experienced some of the bitterness you have dealt with for the past few years, and I got a taste of the darkness you talked about. The cancer. And it was consuming. And although I have decided to change myself for the better, progress has been slow because building trust back up, and shedding this bitterness, takes time. But I look at you, and see that it is possible. I see the progress you have made because of Cady. And Vic. And your own strength. And I have hope. So thank you."

"I should be thanking you. You committed a selfless act, putting yourself, your freedom, in jeopardy, to protect me. Allowing me the opportunity to find…some happiness. And Henry…you WILL persevere. With whatever you put your mind to" Walt said placing his hand on Henry's shoulder.

Henry smiled. Then his smile grew bigger. "Thank you for agreeing to the hike today. I think your legs might regret it tomorrow, but in the long run, it will be a good thing. And I hope we can do it again soon. The three of us."

Walt squeezed Henry's shoulder and then released it. Henry walked down the steps, looked over his shoulder, gave Walt a nod, and then headed to his truck. The truck's tires turning on the gravel was the only sound that could be heard as he pulled away. Walt watched Henry's truck disappear down the road, and then re-entered his cabin, being careful not to let the screen door bang behind him. He walked quietly up to the couch, looking down at Vic's sleeping form. Lowering himself, he sat on the edge and placed his hand gently on Vic's shoulder, giving it a slight shake.

"Vic. Do you want me to drive you home or do you want to stay here?"

"Hmm?" a sleepy Vic responded.

"Do you want me to drive you home or do you want to stay here?"

"Stay," she responded groggily.

"Ok." He adjusted her blanket, stood up and was about to walk away when Vic reached out her hand and grabbed his.

"Stay…here…with me," she said.

Walt stilled, looking towards the darkness of his kitchen, and then slowly turned to look down at her. Vic's eyes were open, and she looked back up at him, her eyebrows slanted, her expression hopeful. A slow smile. A small tug to his hand. How could he say no?

"Ok," Walt agreed. Vic's smile beamed back at him.

"Give me a minute," he said. Vic released his hand, and he made his way to his bathroom, closing the door behind him to protect Vic from the light's bright glare. When he reached the sink he looked at himself in the mirror and took a deep breath. He went through his ritual of removing his watch, brushing his teeth and washing his face.

Back in his bedroom, Walt unbuttoned his shirt and laid it on his chair. He sat down on his bed to take off his boots, but was suddenly surprised by the ringing of his phone. Quickly removing his boots, he scrambled out to the front room to pick up the phone. He arrived too late and heard Cady's voice on the answering machine, telling him that she was just checking in. After turning the volume of the answering machine all the way down, he glanced over at Vic, but her eyes remained closed. He picked up the handset, and turned his phone's ringer down as well. He looked down at the t-shirt and jeans he was wearing and then returned to his room to pick up two pillows from his bed, as well as the quilt.

When he reached the couch he found that Vic had moved to the edge to give him space. Walt pulled the three back pillows off the couch and set them on the floor, creating some more room. After placing one pillow under Vic's head, and the other pillow next to her, he climbed on to the couch, lying behind her. He pulled the quilt over himself, and then adjusted his body along the length of the couch. Vic scooted back to lie flush with him, and then reached behind her to grab his arm and pull it over her.

"It was a good day, Walt," Vic said into the dark.

"Yep," Walt replied, pulling her closer.

XX

Sunlight had been coming through the blinds for a while, bringing Walt to a point where he could ignore it no longer. He stretched out and cringed as the after effects of the previous day's hike shouted back at him through his tight, and sore, muscles. He propped his head on his hand, and looked down at Vic. His other arm was still flung over her stomach, rising up and down with each breath she took.

"Stop staring at me," Vic said, her eyes still closed.

"I'm not. I'm still asleep," Walt said, his voice low. Throaty.

"I can tell by your breathing that you're awake. And your voice is coming from above me…so you have your head propped up." She reached up. Touched his face. Ran her fingers along his stubble.

Vic opened her eyes and lowered her hand, looking up at Walt.

"Morning," she said, a smile greeting him.

"Morning," he replied, returning the smile.

"How did you sleep?" she asked. "Did I squish you too much?"

"It was a little…snug. Next time we'll have to try the bed."

"Yeah?"

Walt looked at her a moment. "Yeah."

Vic looked down at Walt's arm stretched across her mid-section, reaching out to lace her fingers through his and raising their joined hands a few inches into the air. She stretched out her legs and grimaced slightly.

"A little sore? After yesterday's hike?" Walt asked.

"That may be an understatement," Vic said, raising her eyes back to his. "How are you not sore?"

"As long as I don't move a muscle, I can block out the reminder that these old bones are going to take a while to recover. Is it a problem if I stay in this exact position for the next three days?"

"I'm not complaining. But Absaroka County might need you to get off your ass. I don't think you can telecommute as the Sheriff."

"I'm re-thinking the current location of the Sheriff's department. We might need to find something at ground level. Or install an elevator. Those stairs are going to be…challenging to climb this morning."

Vic ran her finger tips along his wrist, and then threaded them back through his fingers. "What time is it?" Vic asked, noticing that Walt wasn't wearing his watch. "I don't have my cell phone on me."

"Not sure," Walt responded, his eyes glancing from Vic's eyes, to her lips, to her fingers tangled with his. Their eyes re-connected, and he brought his face down to lightly kiss her.

"I thought you were too sore to move," Vic said, her lips still lightly touching his when he pulled back and hovered over her.

"That was all gravity. Beyond my control. I may be stuck in this position."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yep. 'Fraid so."

"What if I do this?" Vic asked as she used her legs to bring his legs between hers.

"Yep. Definitely don't have the strength to move them back."

"And what if I do this?" Vic said as she removed his hand from hers and placed it on top of her right breast."

"Like I said. I don't have it in me to fight the laws of nature."

Vic reached up and captured his lips again, using her hand to bring his head down to hers. After a few minutes, Walt finally pulled back, resting his forehead against hers.

"I thought you said you couldn't move a muscle," Vic said as she smiled, feeling Walt's hand at her side, playing with the bottom edge of her shirt, which was now raised several inches above her waist.

"Oh that hand has always had a mind of its own. Apparently it can block out the pain."

Vic brought her hand up to his neck, running her fingers through the hair at the back of his head. Walt closed his eyes for a moment, breathing her in. He lowered his lips to her neck, trailing kisses along her skin, and slowly began to move his hand up her side. Her skin soft against his. Her breathing deepening in response.

"Should we move to your bed?" Vic whispered.

Walt pulled back slightly. Swallowed. A slight smile appeared and he opened his mouth to respond when a knock suddenly reverberated in the room, startling them both.

"Walt?" the visitor's voice called out.

Walt sat up. Vic rolled to her side.

"Crap. It's Ferg," she whispered. "Did he see us?" They could see Ferg pacing on the porch.

"It's as if he heard us say yesterday that we were going to tell him about us, but then didn't give us a chance to do it, wanting to find out for himself," she said.

Walt launched himself from the couch, cringing at the discomfort of the sudden movement. He smoothed down his hair, and then opened the door, quickly stepping outside and closing the door behind him. He stepped further out onto the porch and then turned towards Ferg.

"Uh…what are you doing here Ferg?" Walt asked, looking down and realizing he was only wearing socks.

"Oh Sheriff…you ARE home. Ruby's been trying to call you. She left you a couple messages yesterday. Asking you to come in at 7 am to meet with the D.A.…but you didn't show." Walt walked down the porch to look in the window near his desk. He saw the red light on his answering machine blinking. He realized he hadn't turned the volume of his answering machine or phone's ringer back up after last night. He looked up and saw Vic making her way to his bedroom.

"I got home late last night. I didn't realize I had messages," Walt said, walking back to the top of his steps, drawing Ferg's attention with him.

"Well, when you didn't show this morning, we tried to call you. And then we tried Vic thinking she could help out, but couldn't reach her. Either at home or on her cell. We left her messages as well. Here I'll try her again. Let her know we found you," Ferg said, as he selected Vic's name on his cell phone's contact list. Suddenly the ringing of a cell phone could be heard behind them. Coming from Vic's backpack, which Henry had left just outside the front door the previous night. Walt's eyes closed, and he ran his hand across his face. He opened his eyes, looking straight ahead, breathing in deeply. After a moment he turned towards Ferg.

"Uh…Ferg…" Walt started.

"Is that Vic's truck?" Ferg asked looking beyond Walt, to the front yard.

'Uh…Henry, Vic and I got home late…and it was too late for Vic to go home… so Vic slept on my couch…and we…"

Ferg looked at Walt, a crease forming between his eyes as he listened to Walt's rambling.

"Ferg…Vic and I…we're…seeing each other…we're…romantically involved. I'm telling you because…we…um… we wanted you to know. And we trust you with this information. But we want you…uh…we're asking you to respect our privacy, and not tell anyone else. We're going to tell Ruby and Branch as well, but I don't want you to say anything to them until we…uh…until we get a chance to do that. Ok?"

Ferg stared at Walt. "You and Vic?"

"Yep," Walt responded.

Ferg looked out at Vic's truck and then back at Walt. "Ok."

"Ok?"

"Yes."

"Ok. Well I'll go back in and change, and then meet you at the office."

"Ok."

"And Ferg? Thanks for your discretion. We…um…we don't want people to make a big deal about this, and we don't want this to affect our work, so we are trying to keep this under the radar…at least for a while."

"No problem, Sheriff. I'll…I'll see you back at the office. And my lips are sealed."

Ferg made his way down the steps and back to his car. After opening the door, he looked back at Walt, and then got in to the driver's side.

Walt watched Ferg's car as he drove away, and then stared out into the distance. After a few minutes he turned, opened his front door and went back into his cabin. He made his way to his bedroom, opening the door and finding Vic sitting at the edge of the bed. Vic stood up when Walt entered the room.

"What happened?" Vic asked.

"We need to get into the office. I'm going to take a shower and then head in. I think you should go home, change into your uniform, and head in yourself."

Walt walked into his bathroom, shut the door and turned on the water. After a few minutes, he returned from the shower to find Vic still in his room.

"Vic, what are you still doing here?" Walt said as he walked over to his dresser, pulled a couple items out, and then entered his closet.

"Are you going to tell me what happened? What you're planning on doing? It's ok if Ferg found out. We were going to tell him anyway," Vic said.

Walt walked out of his closet, his shirt unbuttoned, and sat next to her on the bed.

"I told Ferg about us. Now I need to go in and tell Ruby. I don't want to put Ferg in the place where he has to keep a secret for us. That may be too much of a burden. And apparently I missed a meeting with the D.A. this morning, so I need to go smooth things over. And just to let you know, they've been trying to reach you this morning, but your phone was in your backpack out on the porch, and we didn't hear it."

"Oh."

"So you need to get your butt in gear. Go home. Shower. Change. And then come into work. I'll use that time to tell Ruby. And Branch, if he is in. And then we'll figure the rest out, together. Ok?"

"Ok," Vic said, a smile now playing on her lips. She reached over and started buttoning his shirt. He looked at her as she completed the task.

"Earlier you were saying that you couldn't move, due to how sore you are, so I thought I'd help you out. So you don't have to go into the office half-dressed," she said.

Walt smiled. "That would probably not be the best way to tell Ruby about us. Might be a bit distracting."

"And then, if you need help tonight, because you're still too sore to get undressed, just give me a call, and I'll come help you out."

"I'll keep that in mind. As I indicated before, it could be a few days before I fully recover," he said, leaning down to cover her lips with his, before pulling back, a smile starting to escape despite his best efforts to conceal it.

"Although I don't quite understand why your arms are sore from hiking."

"Well…that was a heavy backpack I was carrying. So it's not so much the arms that are sore, but the shoulders they are attached to."

"Heavy…hmm…I see. So clearly I should carry the backpack the next time we go hiking. Protect those shoulders of yours."

"Well that would result in your shoulders being sore…which means I will need to help you dress and un-dress…but as I say that out loud, I'm not really seeing a problem with that situation either. I think it works in my favor either way."

"Minus the sore shoulders…that is."

"Ah yes. Minus those sore shoulders," he agreed, his smile fully escaped.


	16. Chapter 16

"Hello."

"Did you just get home?"

"Vic," Walt smiled at hearing her voice.

"Ruby was heading out when Ferg and I arrived back at the office, and let us know that we had just missed you," Vic said.

"You're back at the office?"

"Yeah. We've got a whole shitload of stuff from Robertson's storage unit. Ferg's on duty tonight so we thought we'd spend a couple of hours starting to catalog the evidence. See if there's anything here that will help our case."

"Do you want me to come back in? Help out?" Walt asked.

"No. I think…I think it might be good for me to spend some one-on-one time with Ferg. See how he's handling what you told him about us this morning. Not have him feel ganged up on by having the two of us here together. If that's ok."

"That's probably a good idea. How late are you going to stay tonight?"

"I'm not sure. With the amount of crap this guy had in storage, it could be a while. And we likely won't finish and will be back at it tomorrow. We filled up my truck and Ferg's car, and left some there that we still need to retrieve."

"Where's Ferg now?"

"He's outside. There are a few more loads to carry in, which he volunteered to handle. I wasn't kidding this morning when I said my legs were sore. I didn't think I could make another trip up and down those stairs. How are you doing?"

"Pretty much in the same boat as you. My legs have been screaming at me all day. Cursed Henry under my breath each time I walked up and down those stairs. Your…vocabulary…must be rubbing off on me. I didn't know I knew some of the words that came to mind. Pretty much got home and haven't moved from this spot."

"Oh yeah? Where did you land? Do I need to come pick your sorry ass of up the floor?"

"I'm on my front steps. I've got a beer, my phone and a burger from The Pony, so I should be good for a while," Walt said.

"Did you give Henry hell when you picked up the burger?"

"He wasn't at the bar when I went to pick it up. Probably heard me cursing him from a mile away and was hiding in his office. Either that or he's nursing the same post-hike pain, and doesn't want to admit it."

"I can't believe I haven't seen you all day," Vic said quietly. Walt wasn't sure if she intended to say that out loud. "You were already out at the crime scene when I finally got in. And then Ferg and I got called out to the storage unit before you returned."

Walt's attention was momentarily captured by the headlights of a car driving towards and then past his place, the driver focused on the road before him. Unaware of Walt's presence.

"Which reminds me," Vic said, bringing Walt's focus back to their call. "I haven't been able to ask you how your discussion went with Ruby. When I saw her today, she gave me no indication of whether you had the conversation, or how it went."

"Well…" Walt started.

"And don't give me that Walt Longmire abridged crap. Give me everything. Walk me through it exactly as it happened. What did you say? How did she respond? Where and when did you have the conversation?"

"So Vic Moretti style?"

"You bet!"

"Um…when I arrived, and was hanging up my hat, I saw that Ferg and Ruby were the only ones there…so I…uh…I asked Ruby if I could talk to her in my office. She followed me, carrying her notepad, and a pile of her post-it messages…like it was any other meeting. I could see Ferg's eyes following us, but I ignored him, and asked Ruby to close the door once we stepped inside. Ruby was looking up at me with that open expression of hers, and I almost lost my nerve."

"But I decided to just dive in. I told her that you and I were seeing each other. That we didn't want our relationship to affect our work, to draw attention or to make a big deal of it. That it's all new and we were still figuring it all out, so we weren't telling a lot of people yet. That Cady, Henry and Ferg are the only ones that know. That if there was any time that she couldn't reach me at home, that she should try calling you. When I wrapped up, I looked to her for a response. She looked back at me with those eyes of hers, and said nothing. So I asked her if she had anything to say or ask. Any concerns. She then took out her pile of post-it notes, spread them out on my desk, and proceeded to walk me through my messages. She finished by asking me how I wanted to handle the meeting I had missed with the D.A., and then walked out of the office."

"Are you serious? She had no reaction?"

"She literally said nothing about it. But this afternoon, when I returned to the office, I found another set of post-it notes from Ruby on my desk." Walt paused. "Is Ferg there with you right now?"

"What?" Vic said, thrown by the shift in conversation. "No, he's back outside getting the next load."

"Ok. Go in to my office for a minute and shut the door."

Vic paused. "Ok."

He heard her get up and make her way to his office.

"I'm in. Door is closed."

"Sit down at my desk, and open the top left drawer."

Vic did as he said. "Now what?"

"You'll see an envelope near the top. Take that out and open it."

As Vic opened the envelope, a pile of post-it notes fell out.

"Are these the post-its Ruby left you?"

"Yes. I thought you would like to read them. The Walt Longmire abridged version of these notes wouldn't do them justice. Start with the one on top, and read them in order."

Vic picked up the pile and proceeded to read them out loud.

"Walter Longmire. I have worked in this department, and with you, for decades. I have looked after you like you were family." Vic flipped to the next post-it.

"I've seen you in times of joy, and through times of great sorrow. As such, I know how to read your moods, despite how little you actually share."

"When Martha passed, you retreated into yourself. The Walter Longmire I knew became a shadow of himself, sleep walking through his life. And then, slowly, you started returning to us."

"Henry helped. Cady's return helped. But I noticed that it was a certain female deputy that had the biggest impact. She seemed to give you a reason to connect and interact with your life, and those around you, again."

"So these past couple of years I've watched as the two of you found yourselves and each other, but didn't seem to recognize what you had."

"I knew how unhappy Vic was in her marriage, and how unhappy you were with your life. And I only hoped the two of you would see how happy you could be if you just opened your eyes."

"I might not have reacted to your 'revelation' this morning in the way you expected, but that was because your news comes as no surprise. And I wanted to honor your wishes, and not make a big deal of it."

"But Walter, it is a big deal. You have come so far, and I am very happy for you." Vic flipped to the last post-it note.

"So if you screw this up, you will not hear the end of it from me. Put those you love before the job. Be willing to give your heart to others. Share what's going on in that mind of yours. Over and out. Ruby."

Vic was quiet as she digested Ruby's words. "Wow. That woman sure does know how to communicate via post-its."

"Yep," Walt responded. "And apparently she thinks you were the best thing that happened to me these past couple of years," Walt said, smiling into the phone. "And Ruby is seldom wrong," he added. "She sees all and knows all."

"Yes she does," Vic agreed. "Did you get a chance to talk to Branch?"

"No, he was out of the office all day running down some leads. In fact, he found a promising lead that is going to require the two of us to head to Billings tomorrow. So I guess I have a three hour drive to tell him the news."

"Really? What I wouldn't give to be a fly on the wall of that potentially awkward conversation. I will absolutely need an update on how that discussion goes. No way in hell that Branch doesn't have a reaction."

"We'll see."

A pause.

"So that means another day I'm not going to see you in the office."

"Yep."

"Well that sucks."

"Yep."

"What time do you head out?"

"Bright and early. A little before 7 am."

"Ok. Good luck. With the case. And with Branch. If we don't hear from you, we're coming out to find the dead bodies."

Walt laughed. "Maybe I should have us both remove our guns before I tell him."

"Might be a good idea," Vic laughed in return.

XX

"Hello."

"Vic."

"Hi Wally."

A pause. "Are you drunk?"

"No. Just trying out some new nicknames for you. See if any stick."

"My dad used to call me that when I was a kid. Wally."

"Oh. Sorry. Didn't know that. I'll scratch it from the list."

"I don't want you calling me Wally, but it's not because my Dad did."

"Not man enough of a nickname for you, now that you are all grown up?"

"Do you want me calling you Vickie?"

"Point taken," Vic laughed. "Wait, where are you calling me from?"

"My motel room. Branch and I have to stay the night. We've going to talk to a couple more folks first thing in the morning."

Vic paused, taking in Walt's words. "Give me the number for the place you're staying at, and your room number. You shouldn't be paying the motel's crappy phone rates to call me. I'll call you back."

Walt read her the phone number and gave her his room number. They both hung up, and then she called him back.

"That sucks," she said when he picked up.

"What sucks?" Walt asked.

"That you have to stay the night. Sucks for me, that is. But it sounds like you're having some success up there."

"We'll see. Are you still in the office, or did you make it home?" Walt asked.

"Neither. I'm sitting on my birthday present. I'm at your place, on the porch glider."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. I thought I might be able to greet you when you got home. Which appears not to be in the cards for this evening. But if I close my eyes, and hold the phone to my ear, I can pretend you are next to me, about to tell me what happened on the way up to Billings with Branch."

"Well there have been no casualties…yet."

"What! No, no, no. I want all the details. Start at the beginning."

Walt adjusted the position he was lying in on the bed.

"The first hour in the car was pretty quiet. A few short comments and responses here and there. I actually turned the music on, if you can believe it…to fill the void" Walt said. Vic chuckled.

"About an hour into our drive the station we were listening to turned to static. Instead of turning the radio to another station, Branch turned it off. And then shortly afterwards began to talk. About a lot of things that happened these past couple years. The election. Cady. Nighthorse. David Ridges. His Dad."

"He apologized for taking things out on you, and said he respected you for having the guts to tell me about his behavior. I told him he needed to apologize to you in person. And he agreed. And that he also owed apologizes to Cady and Ferg and others. He said that the counseling he was doing, as part of the conditions of his return to his job, was helping him. I let him do most of the talking. It seemed like he needed it. And I made the decision not to tell him about you and me. At least not during our drive up."

"This evening, when we realized we were going to have to stay another night, we grabbed a pizza and a 6-pack and headed back to my room. We spent some time going over the details of the case, and what we had learned, or not learned, in our conversations earlier today. Discussed what our approach was going to be for tomorrow. A couple beers in I decided I was going to tell him. I decided if he got angry, he would be able to sleep on it, where as if I told him on the car ride home and he got angry, that would just not be a fun three hours."

"I told him pretty much the same thing I told Ruby. About you and me seeing each other. And when I finished, he looked down at his beer, smiled, let out a laugh, and then said 'Of course you are." He finally looked up and repeated it. 'Of course you are.' He looked directly at me for a couple minutes without saying a word. He didn't seem mad. Or upset. Or even surprised. He just looked at me with this blank face. He then stood up. Said that he should call it a night. Wanted to leave me some time to call my girlfriend and tell her I wasn't coming home tonight. And then headed out. I really have no idea what to expect from him tomorrow."

"Wow! I don't know what to make of it. But at the same time, I'm not surprised. Seems like a very Branch-like reaction."

"It does. Which means anything could happen tomorrow. He could be hostile. He could ignore me. He could pretend like our discussion never happened."

"This is why you need a cell phone. So you could text me tomorrow with updates," Vic said with a laugh. "Sorry. I don't mean to be making light of this. I think it is going to be ok. Like you said, he's going to have the night to sleep on it. And he's a lot more level-headed these days."

Walt silently nodded in response.

"So how are you doing with all this?" Vic asked. "With telling people about us? I know we talked about telling Ruby, Ferg and Branch. But we were kind of rushed into it when Ferg showed up at your place yesterday morning."

"I'm ok."

"Walt. Come on. Tell me how you are actually doing. This can't be easy," Vic said.

"It's kind of a relief, to be honest. At first I was very protective of our…relationship. I didn't want anyone to know because I didn't quite know what I was going to do about my feelings for you, or what we had. But once we started making forward progress, it felt kind of strange. Getting closer to you, but then acting like nothing had changed around everyone else."

"I know what you mean," Vic said.

"And I've been talking myself into and out of telling them for weeks now. Apparently I needed a little fire under my butt to take some action."

"That can be an effective approach to taking action," Vic said, a yawn escaping mid-sentence.

"Well it's getting late. I should let you go. You still need to drive home."

"Not yet. I like hearing your voice in my ear. Can you stay on the phone until I get home?" Vic asked as she got in her truck.

"Ok."

"Are you definitely coming home tomorrow?"

"Definitely."

"You swear?"

"I swear."

"Ok."

"Ok."

"Tell me more about your day. How you missed having your partner with you," Vic said.

"Do you want the Walt Longmire abridged version. Or the Vic Moretti approved version?"

"What do you think?" Vic asked with a laugh.

XX

"Hi," Vic said, answering her phone.

"Hi."

"You're back."

"Yep. Just got home."

Walt heard some background noise from Vic's end.

"Where are you?" he asked.

"At a dinner party with Cady. A friend of a friend of hers. Mike…or something. We got here about an hour ago."

"Oh. Didn't realize you two were hanging out tonight."

"We made plans a little while ago. When we chatted after the night you two went out to dinner. When I won my three bets. She thought I might like to meet some of her friends."

Walt heard the muffled sound of someone saying something to Vic, and her muffled response.

"I can let you go, and we can talk later," Walt offered.

"No, no. I want to talk to you. Let me step outside where it's quieter. Give me a moment." Vic muted her phone while she made her way outside. Walt stared up at the night sky while he waited for Vic to get settled. He briefly wondered if any guy at the party had flirted with her, and then pushed the thought out of his mind.

"Ok. I've found a quiet spot."

"Vic, if you'd like to go back to the dinner, you should."

"Dinner hasn't been served yet. And I want to talk to you. Tell me about your day with Branch. How did the drive home go?"

"At first I thought he was going to act like I never said anything last night. All day he acted the way he had the previous day. Maybe a little distant at times, but definitely not ignoring me. Made a few jokes here and there. The drive home started out the same as well. Not much talking."

"But with probably an hour left to the drive, he asked me how I could be on his case for dating Cady, who wasn't an employee of the Sheriff's department, but could be so nonchalant about dating you, a subordinate. I told him that I wasn't treating the situation lightly. That we were not breaking any department rules. That we understood the implications of what we were doing. But that we were serious about the relationship. He then asked if I had thought he hadn't been serious about Cady. If I had thought he had dated her to stick it to me. He asked it with such sincerity. If I had doubted his intentions before, I now knew that I had been wrong. And I apologized to him for that. But I asked if he could blame me, given our strained relationship at the time. I apologize again, and then reassured him that you and I would not let our relationship interfere with our work. And that I would not let my relationship with one of my deputies prevent me from serving as Sheriff and the lead of the department any differently than I had in the past. I told him that he could come to me at any time if I wasn't living up to that promise."

"And how did he respond to that?"

"He turned to me, looked me directly in the eye and gave a nod. And then he turned the radio on, and we returned to our normal not-talking-much state for the rest of the drive," Walt paused, letting Vic take in all he had said. "And how was your day?" he asked Vic.

"Well. You might be getting some…negative reports…about me. I was pretty crabby today, and may have taken it out on a few people. Although some were being shitheads, so maybe deserved a little of the crap I threw their way. I think you not being here has not been good for my...attitude. You're a calming force for me. I don't think I've gone three days not seeing you in the last couple years, except around the holidays when I had time off. Definitely not three days of work. And I gotta say…this being apart…I don't like it."

"Me either," Walt agreed.

"You in tomorrow?" Vic asked.

"Actually, I have the day off. I may stop by the office tonight to wrap things up, but wasn't planning on coming in tomorrow. Do you want to have dinner tomorrow night? We could…" Walt started

"Yes," Vic responded, not waiting for him to finish his sentence.

"Or lunch, if you wanted to have a meal together earlier in the day," Walt offered.

"Or breakfast?" Vic asked. "That way if things don't go as expected later in the day…if new evidence or a new case throws my schedule for a loop…we would still have eaten together. My shift starts a little later in the morning, so we won't have to rush."

"Your place or mine?"

"It doesn't matter. Name it and I'll be there," she said.

"Why don't you come over to my place. I'll do the cooking. You can get ready for work here, if you want."

"That sounds great. How early is too early to come?"

Walt saw headlights approaching, but kept his focus on Vic's words. And then, suddenly, Vic's truck was pulling in front of his place, and she was stepping out, still holding her cell phone to her ear. She dropped her hand and hung up, giving a shrug and smiling up at him.

"I couldn't wait for breakfast."

"I thought they hadn't served the meal at your dinner party yet," Walt said as he lowered his phone to his lap.

"They hadn't. I just decided there was somewhere else I would rather be," she said as she ascended the steps towards him.

Walt stood up as she arrived at the top step.

"Still planning on going in to the office tonight?" she asked.

Walt paused, reaching out to tuck a strand of her hair behind her ear.

"I was, but I just realized there was something else I would rather be doing."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yep."

She stepped closer. Closed the distance, bringing her face to his chest. Her arms around his middle. "I missed you," she whispered into his shirt. He closed his eyes, wrapped his arms around her and breathed in the familiar scent of her hair.

After a few minutes, Walt pulled back to look her in the eyes. He brought his face down to hers. Foreheads touching. Then noses. Then lips. Their kiss slow. Welcoming each other back.

"I missed you too."


	17. Chapter 17

"You're staring at me again."

A pause. "I'm not," Walt finally responded.

Walt could picture the incredulous expression Vic probably had on her face right now.

"First, it's too dark in here to be able to stare at you….and see…anything," he said.

"I think there is enough moonlight seeping in. You're staring. There's something about your silence. I can just tell."

Walt couldn't disagree. There was just enough moonlight coming from the window in his bedroom that he could see the outline of her back. Her shoulders. Her hair.

"Second," Walt continued, attempting to regain his focus. "You're in my bed. And naked. If I could see anything in this darkness, could you blame me for looking?"

Vic laughed. "See. Admission of guilt right there."

"I wouldn't call it staring. I was thinking. And while thinking, you crossed my mind. And I happened to look over at you, and you happened to wake up."

Vic's legs, which were entangled with his, slid slightly upward as she turned toward him. The shadows prevented him from being able to see her eyes. Whether they were opened or closed. Whether they were looking upon him in the same way he was looking at her.

"I've been doing a lot of staring these past couple years," he said. "It was the only thing I would allow myself to do. In all other ways I held myself back, when it came to you. Put up walls or pushed you away when I felt my guard slipping. But I always let my eyes follow you when I thought you weren't looking. Allowed myself to let you in that way. I guess I haven't gotten out of the habit."

Walt felt Vic's hand rest on his arm.

"I know what you mean. I often found myself wanting to touch you these past couple years. Even before I could explain or admit to myself why. Sometimes my hand would reach out involuntarily and I would have to pull it back. I remember when Cady was in the hospital, and I found you sitting in her room. My hand just reached out to comfort you as if it was something I had always done. And then I caught myself and hesitated. But then decided to take the risk. I wanted to make contact. Give you my strength. My energy. My hope. To buoy up yours. But then I had to pull back. I didn't know how you would respond to my touch. If I had the right..." Vic paused as she reflected back on that moment.

"And now that I can touch you whenever I want, I can't seem to get enough." Her hand slid up his arm, finding his face. Her fingertips tracing a pattern up his jaw, coming to rest on his cheek. "You've probably noticed that I can't seem to get enough of touching your face."

They lay in that position for a while. Side by side. Neither moving. The moonlight and Vic's touch connecting them.

"What had you so deep in thought a moment ago?" Vic asked, finally breaking the silence. "You're not freaking out about last night in that head of yours? Second-guessing or doubting yourself or us?"

"No," Walt said, placing his hand on hers. He pulled her fingers from his face and interlacing them with his. "More disbelief. Up to a few months ago I would never have thought this possible. You. Me. Here. Together. It's just…overwhelming…in a good way. I'm just trying to wrap my mind around it."

Vic released his hand and then pinched his arm.

"Ow." Walt laughed. "What was that for?" he asked.

"Proving to you that you are not dreaming." She then scooted a little closer to him in the bed, and placed her arm on his chest, slowly running her hand back and forth. "I'm very real. This really happened," she said into his shoulder, her lips grazing over his skin as she spoke. Silence settled in again as she rested her cheek again his side.

"So what changed?" Vic asked.

"What changed?"

"You weren't ready…for this…before. And then…last night…What changed?"

Walt paused. "I felt like we were just growing closer and closer. And these last few days, as I so determinedly decided to talk to Ruby and Branch about us, I realized I wouldn't be doing that if I wasn't sure. About how I felt. About what I wanted. And when I saw you get out of your truck last night. With a look of relief. And longing. That seemed to match my own. I just realized I was ready. For us…to be more."

Vic kissed Walt's shoulder. "I was on auto-pilot last night. When I heard your voice on the other end of the phone…and learned you were just minutes away…everything else just faded to the background. I told Cady I was going outside to talk to you, and then I found myself getting in my truck, starting it up, and heading towards your place without even thinking twice. And then I was here. And all seemed...right again." Vic pulled in closer, placing her head on his chest. Hugging his mid-section.

"So…the box of condoms in your bedside table. You obviously expected to be ready."

Walt grew quiet. "I can't take responsibility for those. That's all Henry."

"Henry?"

"It is clear you didn't put them there. No matter how much Cady likes you and is excited about the prospect of us, she does not want that visual in her head, so it wasn't her. Which leaves Henry. I think he must have done it on the day we all worked on my place. Must have snuck them in before leaving. I found them last week."

"Well cheers to Henry's meddling."

Walt laughed. "We can't let him know that we think his meddling was a good thing. There's no telling what he would do next if he thought we were receptive to it."

"Oh I already texted him a thank you," Vic said with a laugh.

"Not possible. Your jeans are across the room, with your phone somewhere in the pile. I remember struggling to get that out of your pocket last night."

"Who had the bigger challenge? You trying to peel my jeans off, or me trying to get your boots off? I don't think either of us came across all that graceful in our attempts," Vic giggled, her breath tickling over Walt's skin.

Walt laughed. "I think we both just need some more practice."

"Practice sounds good. Lots and lots of practice," Vic confirmed. She breathed in deeply and ran her hand up and down his side.

"Vic…" Walt said into the darkness. His voice low. "I…last night…when we first started…when I…paused…at the doorway. I just want to say that was not uncertainty about you…or what we were doing. I was just…it had been so long for me…and it meant so much…I didn't want to…disappoint you. I was nervous. That I was so…rusty."

"Walt. I was nervous too. It's ok. And despite that initial…hesitation…on both our parts, we ended up being pretty amazing. You were not rusty at all. Quite the opposite, in fact." Walt felt Vic smile into his chest.

"What time is it?" she finally asked.

"Very early. Hours before you have to be at work. You need to get some sleep."

"Or…I could put my jeans on again and we could get some more practice in?" she said, turning her face in his direction.

Walt wrapped his arm around her, bringing her in closer. "Or we could skip to the next part. We need to practice that as well. I'm not quite convinced that I am not rusty."

Vic pulled herself up on to Walt's chest. Looking down at him. Her hair draping across his face. Walt raised his hand, pushing her hair back. Taking her face out of the shadows. Lowering her head, she covered his mouth with her own. Walt's other hand slid down her back, pulled her in, and then rolled them both over so that he was now on top. He broke contact with her lips and raised his head. Seeing a smile break out on Vic's face, he smiled down at her in return. His hand caressing her face. Her neck. A path downwards. He brought his lips down to follow his hand's path along her skin.

"See? Not so rusty," Vic said. "Now hand me one of Henry's condoms."

Walt winced. "Do not call them that," he said, laughing out loud.

"Henry's prophylac…" Vic started, but was cut off as Walt's lips captured hers.

XX

Walt woke to light coming through his window blinds. He stretched, his right hand running across the sheets. Finding the space next to him unoccupied, he looked over and confirmed Vic's absence. Glancing over, he located her clothes still on the floor. He rubbed his face and ran his hand through his hair as he sat up, looking around for his jeans. After locating them he walked over to his dresser, pulled out a t-shirt and a pair of boxers, and got dressed.

The smell of coffee greeted him when he opened his bedroom door. Vic was not in the front room, so he rounded the corner and entered the kitchen. Finding it also empty, he spotted a coffee cup she had placed next to the coffee maker. He filled his mug, and then headed to his front door, which he now noticed was slightly ajar.

He found Vic sitting on the porch glider, wearing the shirt he was wearing the night before, her legs folded beneath her on the bench, a cup of coffee held between both hands. She looked up as he approached and smiled.

"Morning."

"Morning," he responded, as he sat down next to her. "How long have you been up?"

"A little while. Sat on your railing and was able to see the sun rise behind your place. Beautiful."

Vic looked Walt up and down. Lifted her hand and ran it through his hair. "Forgot to tell you how much I loved your morning look after sleeping on your couch Sunday night. You've got it again this morning. Adorable."

"I wouldn't use the word adorable. More like rumpled," Walt said.

"Rumpled in an adorable way. I like it." She appraised him further. "Tired?"

"Well a certain someone kept me up late last night."

"And early this morning." Vic beamed. "Very inconsiderate of this…certain someone. Not giving you your beauty rest. You could have turned her down."

"I don't know. She seemed very determined. Plus I don't have to go in to work, so I can get some more rest later if needed."

"If I worked anywhere else, I would call in sick. Spend the day in bed with you." Walt smiled to himself at the thought of that.

"Why anywhere else but where you currently work?"

"Well, after all that confessing you did with Ferg, Ruby and Branch, if I called in sick at the one place you also happen to work at, with you off for the day, I think they would put two and two together. Plus, if I called in sick, there's a good chance they would call you in to replace me. And my whole plan would backfire."

"Good point," Walt said, smiling into his coffee cup. He found himself watching Vic as she looked out at the view before them. 'Old habits' he realized, shaking his head.

"You look good in my shirt," Walt said, taking a mental picture he was sure he would re-visit later.

"I like being in it. Smells just like you. You may not get it back," she said, glancing over at him. "Do you think it would be a problem if I wore it to work today? It falls within our approved dress code, if I'm not mistaken."

"Remember our conversation moments ago about our co-workers putting two and two together?" Walt said over the rim of his mug.

"Maybe you didn't need to put all that effort into telling Ruby and Branch about us. I could have just worn this to the office and let them come to their own conclusions," Vic said with a smile. "I would have loved to see Branch's face. Although he would have given me shit all day."

Walt found himself staring at her again. Amazed that she was here with him. Amazed at how beautiful she looked at this hour. With so little sleep. How at ease she seemed. How much he desired…everything about her. She looked over at him, her eyes big. Dark. A slight smile graced her lips, and then she leaned in. Unfolding her legs to sit up straighter. Move closer.

"I've got serious coffee breath," she whispered, her lips hovering before his. Walt closed the small distance between them. Their kiss slow at first. Tentative. But then Walt placed his hand along her jaw and she responded with more pressure, opening her lips to him. After a few moments, the need for air finally drove them to pull apart. Unable to take his eyes off her, Walt reveled at her flushed face. Her sparkling eyes. That he had been the cause. That she was having the same effect on him.

"I see that smirk on your face, cowboy. Gloating about the effect you have on me?" she asked as she ducked her head slightly, tucking loose strands of hair behind her ear.

"Other way around," he said. "Thinking about the effect you have on me."

"Powerless to my charms?" she asked, looking up.

"Powerless," Walt agreed, unable to contain his smile.

"That will be good to know," she said. "Might come in handy if I ever find myself not getting my way in the future."

"I can't imagine you not getting your way…if you really put your mind to it."

"You'd be surprised at how stubborn some people can be. I'm not naming names or anything, but I've known some people who really dig in their heels."

"Well…maybe you just need to work on your…negotiation skills," Walt offered. "Your powers of persuasion. I might let you practice on me…to help you prepare to win over these stubborn people you're talking about. As you said, I can be pretty powerless to your charms with the right incentives."

Laughing, Vic leaned in again, bringing her lips to his briefly before standing up.

"I need to take a shower. Change."

"Right. You need to head home to get ready for work."

"Actually, I have one of my uniform shirts and extra clothes in my truck. I thought I would just shower here…if that's ok."

"More than ok," he replied. "And I owe you breakfast, so I'll get started on that."

Vic held out her hand to him, which he took, not releasing it when he was finally standing. Vic looked down at their joined hands, smiled, and then turned and headed towards the front door. Walt tugged on her hand stopping her in her tracks. She turned around to face him, looking up at him with a quizzical look on her face.

"I'm glad I was ready last night," he stated quietly.

Looking into his eyes, Vic nodded. "Me too."

Walt smiled and then gave her a small push.

"What's taking you so long? I thought you were going to go take a shower. Stop dawdling, slowpoke."

Vic laughed out loud. "You're the one procrastinating. Go make me breakfast."

Walt followed her into the cabin, and then made his way over to the kitchen. He opened one of the cabinets and then the fridge, contemplating their breakfast options. Settling on pancakes and bacon, he pulled the ingredients from their various shelves.

As the bacon reached the right level of crispness, he heard the water from the shower shut off. He flipped the last pancakes onto the stack he had been building, and then turned off both burners. Placing the bacon on a plate covered with a paper towel, he turned and walked over to the closed bathroom door.

"Hey Vic…what do you want to drink with your…" his question trailed off as Vic opened the door, once again wearing his shirt, with only one button buttoned. Her skin still wet. And much of it exposed.

"What were you asking?"

"I forget," he responded. He took a step forward and reached out his hand, parting the shirt and running his fingers along her side before bringing his palm to rest on her hip. His lips turned upwards.

"Why are you smiling?"

"I'm thinking that it is a good thing that I didn't make eggs."

Vic looked up at him with a puzzled expression.

"Eggs don't taste good cold or re-heated," Walt responded to her unspoken question.

Understanding dawned on Vic, as she reached up, placing a hand on his chest. Walt lifted his other hand and undid the one button holding the shirt she was wearing together.

"I think we have a little time before you have to head to work," he said, both of his hands now skimming over her skin.

"I think I might even be able to be a little late. Not sure if I told you, but my boss isn't going to be in today. No one to ride my ass if I don't get there on time."

Walt pushed the shirt off her shoulders and watched it drop to the floor.

"I'll write you a note if you need one. The Sheriff's word goes a long way in this town."

* * *

**Kind of a big milestone for these two…on the relationship journey I've been taking them on. And it only took seventeen chapters to get there! Let me know what you think.**

**Also, I have plotted out some other relationship milestones for them, but wanted to get your input. Any milestones to suggest for the two of them? Let me know and I'll see if I can fit them into my story…and how they can be accomplished on a porch. :)**


	18. Chapter 18

**Once again, thanks again for the great feedback. Very appreciative, and happy that my development of Walt and Vic's relationship is still working for you :)**

* * *

Walt was deep in thought as Vic's truck pulled up in front of his cabin. He shook his head to focus on her arrival, watching from his front steps as she stepped out of her truck, grocery bag in hand.

"Hey," she said on seeing him.

"Hey," he responded. "Need help?"

"Nope. Is your door unlocked? I have some ice cream in here that needs to go in your freezer."

"It's open."

"Great. Be right back."

Walt pushed back his earlier thoughts, listening to Vic's movement in the kitchen. He thought about her being in his kitchen. That she knew where things went…that she felt comfortable in his home…and smiled to himself at the thought. A few minutes later he heard her footsteps approaching as she rejoined him outside. He looked up at the touch of her hand at the side of his face and caught her eyes with his.

"Hey again," she said, smiling down, and then lowering herself to sit next to him.

"Hey," he returned.

Vic watched him for a moment, her hand now at her side, gripping the edge of the step.

"When I pulled up, I seemed to have interrupted you while you were lost in thought. What were you thinking about?"

Walt looked out before him. He contemplated what to say. Whether to say it. Worried that he was making too much out of it. Worried that if he didn't say anything it would mean that he was making too much out of it.

"I stopped at the Walgreens in Sheridan."

Vic thought for a moment. "Yeah. I know the one. What were you doing up in Sheridan?"

"I had driven up to talk to a couple of relatives of James Ross. See if they knew where he might be. And on my way back I decided to run some errands. Pick up a few items I needed."

"Ok…," Vic said, her forehead creasing as she pondered where Walt was going with his story.

"And while I was in the store I…uh…I ran into Lizzie," Walt said, looking over at Vic.

Vic let out a quick laugh. "Really?!"

"Mm hmm."

"And how did that go," she asked.

Walt paused. "It could have gone…better."

Vic's interest was piqued, and she turned her shoulders to face Walt more directly.

"Better how? What happened? Did she get one look at you and confirm she was right all along. That you'd been pining for me while you were dating her?"

"I wasn't pining for you while I was dating her," Walt said.

"Mm hmm. That's not what I hear. I hear you were setting aside a special part of your heart for me," Vic said, her face breaking into a smile.

Walt smiled at her in return and then looked down to try to cover it up.

"Yeah. I saw that smile. You were pining. Anyway, continue with your story. You ran into Lizzie, and…?"

"She got in line behind me when I was checking out. We kind of awkwardly said 'hello,' and I stood there hoping the line would move quickly. They have those new self-checkout machines…"

"They're not new."

"What?"

"The self-checkout machines aren't new. They've had them almost two years."

"Oh. Well…new to me. And you've seen me around new technology before. I mean, you had to show me how to use my key card at the motel…"

"Also not new technology. They've had those longer than two years," Vic said, unable to stop herself from smiling.

"Ok. Well, these self-checkout machines were new to me, and when it was my turn I kind of struggled trying to scan my items. Partly because I wasn't used to doing it and partly because I knew Lizzie was watching me. Lizzie stepped up unexpectedly and took the items from my hand and starting scanning them, and placing them in the plastic bag. When she scanned the second item she was about to put the item in the bag but then paused. She didn't say anything. Or even look back at me. But it was a pretty clear pause."

"What was the item?"

"A toothbrush."

"What was so special about a toothbrush?"

"Well…it was the second toothbrush. The first item was also a toothbrush."

"So? Why is buying two toothbrushes noteworthy?"

"I…uh…I think she may have realized I was buying a toothbrush for someone other than myself."

"You bought me a toothbrush?" Vic asked.

"Yep. Thought it might be a good idea for you to have one here when you stay over."

Vic smiled. And then shook her head to focus back on the topic at hand.

"Wait, how would she know the toothbrush was for me?"

"She didn't know the toothbrush was for you specifically. But I think it crossed her mind that it might be for someone else. Someone other than me. The first one she scanned was blue, and this one was pink. I think she paused as she tried to figure out if I would buy myself a pink toothbrush, or if I would be buying it for someone else. A woman."

"You bought me a girly toothbrush? What if I want the blue toothbrush?"

Walt paused, confused by the current line of discussion.

"Oh, I didn't…you can have the blue toothbrush."

"I'm just kidding. I'll use the pink toothbrush. I just find it funny that you bought our toothbrushes in stereotypical boy/girl colors," Vic said. "So she sees a pink toothbrush and instantly jumps to the conclusion that you are shacking up with a lady friend."

"Well, I don't know if she jumped all the way to that conclusion, but something crossed her mind, and then before I could stop her she reached into my basket and pulled out the next item, and I was just…mortified."

"What, did you have a box of condoms in there?" Vic said jokingly. Then she saw Walt's face. "You're shitting me! You had a box of condoms in there?"

"I…uh…well I…I thought since I was at the drugstore that it would be a good idea to get a box…"

"Even though we haven't gone through the box Henry gave you."

"Well, you do seem to have this insatiable appetite," Walt half-smiled. "And I thought…I thought having another box on hand instead of running out unexpectedly at some point…"

"Oh my god…you deliberately went to the drugstore in Sheridan so you wouldn't have to buy condoms here in Durant. Too embarrassed to buy condoms from someone who knows you as the Sheriff?"

Walt didn't respond.

"Walt, are you worried that people are going to find out about us? Or that they are going to judge you…for moving on? Or judge you because it is me?"

"It's been a long time since I've bought condoms, period. So that in itself is strange. Add to the fact that people don't know we are together, and they just see me as the solitary widower…I wasn't ready for the scrutiny."

"Walt, if we are going to be together…in a serious relationship…people are going to find out. We can't only be the sheriff and the deputy in public, and Walt and Vic in private."

"I know. And I want that. I want to be Walt and Vic out in public…but wanting something doesn't mean it is easy. Or that it just happens because you want it to be so. People are absolutely going to judge us…because we work together…because of our age difference…because you were, until recently, still married…because I was married to someone the town knew and loved. I told you that I wanted to start telling people, and that's what I did. The people who absolutely needed to know."

"Let the others judge us. If they have a problem with it, they're going to get over it eventually, because we'll show them we have staying power. That our personal relationship doesn't affect our working relationship. That our age difference doesn't matter. That yes, we each have a past. But now we have a future as well. A future together. And if any of them can't get over it, well screw them. They're not friends of ours, so we'll just cut them loose or ignore them."

Walt gazed at Vic, his eyes shining brightly, telling her what he couldn't say in words. He leaned in, placing his lips on hers. When he pulled back he took her hand in his and placed them on his knee.

"Ok."

"Ok?" Vic asked.

"Ok. We need to be more public with Walt and Vic. Not shout it from the rooftops, tell everyone in-person public. But not hide it from everyone. Start to be 'us' out in the world."

"Yeah?"

"Yep."

"So meals out at restaurants? Not just as co-workers, which we already do, but as a couple?"

"Yep."

"Holding hands while walking down the street."

Walt paused, looking down at their joined hands.

"Yep. Well…when we aren't working that is, but, yep."

"Buying condoms at the drugstore right here in town?"

"Eventually," he said with a half-smile. "I mean, with the box I just bought, it should be a while. And more people will probably know about us by then."

"I don't know. I've got an insatiable appetite, as you said. And now that you confirmed that you were pining for me all this time, I feel like I have some making up to do. We might need some replacements sooner than you think," she said, a devilish grin appearing.

Walt smiled. Vic's smile grew bigger in return.

"Alright, so back to your story. What happened when Lizzie pulled the box of condoms out of your basket?"

"She paused again as she realized what she had picked up, and then turned around and handed the box to me, and told me that I could probably take it from there. She stepped back in line, and I had to finish scanning the remaining items, knowing that she was just staring at me. And of course the next item I pull out is shampoo with pictures of flowers and fruit on the bottle. Clearly not shampoo I was buying for myself."

"You also bought shampoo for me?"

"I remembered the look of the bottle in your shower. Saw it in the aisle next to the toothbrushes. Thought it would be good to have at my place as well."

Vic leaned into his shoulder for a moment before pulling back.

"So she saw you buying all these items, and you just assumed she now realized you have a girlfriend."

"Oh I think she not only realized I had a girlfriend but confirmed that girlfriend was you."

"She can't possibly know what brand of shampoo I use. And I'm not the only one who uses that shampoo."

"No, but as you pointed out before, she seems to be a mind reader. And she clearly remembered that night when she accused me of there being something going on between you and me. When she stepped up to use the machine after me, she looked down at my bag and then back up at me, and said to say 'hello' to you. I was my usual tongue-tied self, and my lack of response must have confirmed her suspicions, because she let out a laugh and said 'I knew it.' I took this as my sign to leave. So yep…could have been better."

"I actually think it was a good thing. You running into Lizzie, and that she figured it out. You would not have wanted to tell her directly, anticipating the potential for a confrontational response. And if she had found out about us from someone else, she might have blurted something out in front of them. This way she learns the truth, in a relatively low-key way. You're bound to run into her from time to time, given how small this community is, and now you don't have to try and hide it each time you see her, or wonder if she knows. It's out there, and you can move on."

"You might be right."

"I might be right?"

"Ok, you're right," he agreed. "Now only about 4,600 more people to go."

"It's going to get easier and easier. And it may even be entertaining, watching as people start to figure it out."

"We'll see about that. Sharing aspects of my personal life has never felt easy or entertaining to me."

"Oh I've found it to be very entertaining."

Walt looked directly at her. "I bet you have. You seem to love to see me squirm."

"I love it because you try so hard to make it look like you are not squirming on the outside. You get this deer in headlights look. But I recognize the signs…and see your mind spinning on the inside. And the more personal the topic, the more flustered you get. Which I also love to watch. Because you are usually so unflappable. I love seeing flappable Walt."

Walt looked out in front of him, contemplating all that Vic had said. He then turned towards her, and tugged on her hand, pulling her into him.

"Hungry? Want to start dinner?"

"A bit. But that can wait. That insatiable appetite needs to be fed first. Plus, I want to see flappable Walt at a local drugstore in the very near future."


	19. Chapter 19

Walt watched the tree limbs whipping around in the wind outside his window. The morning light filtered through the branches, casting shadows and warming the kitchen. He looked over at the two coffee mugs he had placed on the counter and smiled. He liked how the pair looked, side by side. He liked the thought of making coffee for someone other than just himself. He liked the look of their dishes, still in the sink after getting…distracted…after dinner. Walt closed his eyes for a moment. Enjoyed the feel of the morning sun on his face. The warmth that permeated the room, unseasonable this late in September.

He had not heard Vic enter the kitchen, but he felt her behind him as her arms snaked around his mid-section. She leaned in, placing her cheek against his back. He smiled as he opened his eyes and looked down at her arms, placing his hand on top of hers and lightly squeezing her fingers.

"Morning," he said.

"Mm hmm."

"Hope I didn't wake you when I got out of bed to make some coffee."

"You getting out of bed didn't wake me. You being gone did."

Walt could feel Vic breathing deeply as she leaned against him.

"Are you just going to fall back asleep standing up?" he asked.

"I rather like this position," Vic murmured.

The two stood in their backward embrace for a few minutes, Walt relishing both the feel of her arms around him and the sensation of the sunlight as it danced between the branches, almost blinding him at moments. Vic finally released her hold on him and stepped back, bringing her hand up and running her fingers along the scars on his back. She placed her hands along his sides, near the top of his jeans, and lightly kissed the largest of the marks on his skin.

Walt inhaled deeply and then turned around. He leaned back against the sink, bringing his hands up to Vic's hips and pulling her closer. She stepped in between his legs and looked up. He played with the bottom edge of her tank top. Skimmed his fingers over her skin. Looked down at her, taking her in.

"Sleep well?" he finally asked.

"Very. Although I was kind of looking forward to sleeping in this morning," she said, placing the palm of her hand against his chest.

"You can get back in bed, and I can rejoin you with a couple cups of coffee when it's done."

"I think I'd rather wait out here with you while it's brewing," she said as she trailed her fingers along his abs and then hooked them in his belt loops.

Walt's slid her top up slightly, traced a path along the exposed skin with his fingers, and brought his hands to rest at her side. He then leaned down, placing his lips against hers and pulling her closer as he did. When he finally pulled back, Vic remained close. Her eyes still closed. A slight smile on her lips. The corners of his mouth turned up in response.

"Let me get the coffee started," he said, his voice gravelly. His reluctance to disturb her, and the peaceful look on her face, evident.

Vic opened her lids, her eyes big as she looked up at him. With a grin, she tilted her head. Took a step back. Walt stepped to the side and turned towards the cupboards to grab the coffee grounds and prep the machine.

"So how was it at work this week?" he asked as he filled the coffee maker with water.

"I saw you at work this week. You know how our cases are going," Vic said, her forehead creasing at his question.

"I meant, how was it with Ferg, Branch and Ruby? With them knowing about…us? Did they treat you any…differently?"

"Ruby was her usual self. Ferg and Branch both did some tiptoeing around me, but didn't say anything about the topic. I caught Branch staring at me a couple times, but he just looked away or shrugged his shoulders anytime I asked what was up."

"Let me know if anything between you gets…out of hand. If they say or do anything that makes you feel uncomfortable."

"Walt, I can take care of myself. I can't run to you every time they say something to provoke me. It would only exacerbate the problem."

"I don't want them to take any of this out on you," Walt said.

"I don't know if there is even a problem. I think they are both just trying to figure out what it means…if you and I, being together, changes anything…how we should all act around each other. So don't go trying to fix a problem when there might not even be a problem. I know you're the protective type, but I don't need your protection on this matter."

Walt stopped what he was doing and looked over at her.

"I know you don't need my protection. I just want to protect you. I can't help it."

"I can handle this. You don't need to worry." Vic smiled and then finally broke eye contact, placing the tip of her finger against his chest to push him back towards the coffee maker. "Get that coffee started, mister. You can't tease me with the prospect of caffeine and then not deliver on that promise."

Walt smiled as he flipped the machine on and then pulled the two mugs off the counter.

"Got a preference?" he asked as he held out a USC mug and a Broncos one.

"Looks like I may need to get you an Eagles mug. And the Flyers. Maybe my alma mater. The Temple Owls. Get a balance of team and school spirit in here," she said as she looked upon her two options. She tapped the Trojans cup to indicate her preference and then smiled as Walt placed them next to the coffee maker.

They both leaned back against the counter, side by side, listening to the drip of coffee as it filled the carafe. Walt lifted his hand and began to run his pinky along the side of her arm. He wanted to tell her about how he had felt that morning looking at their mugs on the counter. Their dishes in the sink. How he felt in that moment, as they made something as simple as coffee…together.

"I…" Walt started to say, but was interrupted by the sound of a vehicle coming to a stop in front of the cabin. He paused, still looking at Vic, words on his lips ready to be said. But instead he pulled back. Stood up straight. Walked towards the front of his place to check out who had pulled up.

"It's Henry. I forgot that I asked him to stop over this morning. He's got some information from the rez that could help us out with the Ross case."

Walt looked back at her for a moment and then disappeared into his bedroom, returning with his t-shirt and boots on.

"You ok with me coming out after the coffee's done…or are you not comfortable with that? Letting Henry know I'm here? That I stayed the night?" Vic asked.

Walt looked back at Vic. Their eyes connecting. A smile building. "Come on out and join us. Although you may want to put some pants on first," he said, his grin broadening. He then headed out the front door, hearing Vic's laugh as the door closed behind him.

Walt stepped down his front steps to greet Henry. The wind, just as active out front as it was outside his kitchen window, mussed his hair as he walked. Cut through his shirt. Threatened to blow Henry's driver door short as he exited the cab of his truck.

"Good morning Walt," Henry said as he steadied his door.

"Morning."

Henry took Walt in. "You seem content this morning. I almost sense a smile coming on. Do you have good news about the case, or is there something else contributing to your…well-being?"

Walt could not hold a grin back. "I…" Walt started, but didn't finish his sentence as he heard a vehicle approaching, and looked up to see Omar's truck pulling next to Henry's.

Walt froze. His smile fell. Henry noticed and looked quizzically at his friend. Finally stirring, Walt looked at the cabin and then back at Omar as he stepped out of the truck.

"Omar, what are you doing here?" Walt asked, again looking back at his place. Henry watched Walt's movements without comment, but with one eyebrow raised in curiosity.

"You told me you needed my help on a case and to stop by," Omar said. "I couldn't stop over until now. With it being the weekend, I thought it more likely you'd be at your place instead of the office, so I thought I would try here first. I brought some of those guns you asked me to bring over," he said, pointing to some cases in the back of his cab.

"I was almost hoping you weren't here," Omar added. "It would have given me an excuse to stop by the office and pay a visit to you, along with that fine deputy of yours."

"I do not think Ferg would have liked the attention," Henry said.

Omar laughed at Henry's comment. "Speaking of your deputy, I hear she and her husband split up. Is this true?"

"We weren't speaking of Vic, and…" Walt started, but was cut off by Henry.

"It is true. Vic and her husband are no longer together."

Walt whipped his head around to look at Henry, who seemed to be ignoring him, unwilling to catch Walt's eye.

"I might need to offer her some comfort…" Omar started.

"They separated months ago, so no comfort-giving will be necessary. I believe she has recently started seeing someone new. Is that not right, Walt?"

"What?" Walt asked.

"Is it not correct that Vic is seeing someone new?"

"Oh. Yep."

"I think she is just telling you and others that to keep the sharks at bay. If word got out that Vic was a free woman they'd be knocking down her door," Omar said.

The sound of the screen door opening attracted the attention of all three men.

"Good morning Henry, I thought you might like some coff…oh, shit." Vic said as she exited the cabin, coming to a sudden stop when she saw the three men standing beside Henry's truck. She looked from Omar, to Henry, to Walt. Walt's expression clearly indicated his discomfort and Vic raised her eyebrow at him. Henry let out a laugh as he suddenly understood Walt's unease since Omar's arrival. Walt looked over at Henry, willing him to stop laughing with his glare.

"Omar, if I'd known you'd be helping out on the case I wouldn't have agreed to stop by and help out this morning," Vic said as she approached, handing a mug of coffee to both Henry and Walt.

"Good morning Vickie. It's good to see you as well," Omar said with a smile.

"Do not call me Vickie," Vic warned.

"We were just talking about you," Omar said. "Walt and Henry did not tell me you were here," Omar said looking over at the two men beside him, and then back at Vic. "But you're a welcome surprise."

A moment of silence, and then Walt was finally able to pull himself together.

"Uh…I asked Vic to assist this morning. So it is great you stopped by Omar. With…uh…your firearm expertise and…um…Vic's ballistics knowledge, you may be able to…um…help our case out."

Vic was throwing eye darts at Walt, but forced a neutral expression on her face when Omar looked over at her. Omar smiled and Vic rolled her eyes.

"Vic, I'll let you catch Omar up on the case, while Henry gives me an update on what he learned."

When Omar turned towards his truck to get out the guns he had brought over, Vic looked at Walt and then motioned towards the porch.

"Uh…Omar, I need to talk to Walt for a moment, and then we can get started," Vic said.

Walt followed behind Vic, climbing up the steps and joining her outside his front door.

"Walt this is ridiculous," Vic whispered. Loudly. Emphatically. Walt felt her tension as she jabbed him in his chest with her finger. "We need to tell Omar about us. I am about to walk over there to discuss the case, and he is going to hit on me for sure. If he knew about Sean and me splitting up, he would hit on me non-stop."

Walt looked down.

"He knows about Sean and me?" Vic asked.

"Uh…he had heard about it from someone else and Henry confirmed it when he asked us if the news was true."

Vic looked over at Henry, who still stood by his truck, and then at Walt, her eyes big. Her lips pursed.

"In Henry's defense, he also told Omar you were seeing someone new. I think he was trying to give Omar the hint that you've had enough time to move on from Sean, but that his advances would not be well received. As you know, however, Omar pretty much ignores the reality of your relationship status."

"I don't think he would ignore it if you revealed that YOU are the someone new," Vic said.

"Maybe."

"Henry," Vic said when she saw him approaching. "I need your help convincing Walt that he needs to break it to Omar about him and me. You've had to deal with his stubborn ass for 40 years, plus I hear you told Omar that Sean and I split up, so I'll leave you to convince Walt that he needs to take care of this. While you share your words of wisdom with him I am going to get Omar and myself some coffee." Vic then disappeared into the cabin.

Walt and Henry sat down at the top of the steps, silent as they watched Omar removing his guns from their cases.

"Do not say anything," Walt said as he saw Henry turn his head out of the corner of his eye.

Henry said nothing, although Walt felt Henry's silence bearing down on him.

"I know I need to tell Omar about Vic. I just haven't found the right time."

"I think an opportunity has presented itself," Henry said, looking from Walt, to Omar, and back to Walt. "You need to seize this opportunity. Although you may want to wait until he is no longer holding any of the weapons he brought with him."

Vic suddenly swung the screen door open.

"Hey Omar, hope you take your coffee black."

Omar stepped forward. "Actually, I like a little milk and sugar…"

"Tough," Vic said as she handed a cup over to him.

Omar and Vic walked to the back of his truck where he had laid out the guns he had brought with him. Walt and Henry looked at the two from their seated position. Vic's hair whipped around in the wind, and she brought her hand up to hold it back. The gusts of wind made it impossible for Walt and Henry to follow their conversation, but Walt watched Vic as she chatted with Omar. From time to time she looked up and caught his eye. A head tilt here. An arched eyebrow there. Pursed lips as Omar's words brought her back to focusing on what he was telling her.

Walt turned towards Henry, finding Henry looking directly at him with interest. "I'll tell Omar once he and Vic finishes discussing the case," Walt promised.

"Have you told Vic?" Henry asked.

"Told Vic what?"

"Have you told Vic how you feel about her?"

Walt looked back at Vic, not saying anything.

"Have you even admitted to yourself the extent of your feelings for her?"

Before Walt could respond, Vic suddenly called out.

"Hey Walt and Henry. Omar just asked me on a date."

"I didn't ask her on a date," Omar said, loud enough for the two men to hear. "Although if you are open to it…" he said looking at Vic with a grin on his face.

Vic took a couple steps towards Walt and Henry.

"Sorry. Clarification. He asked me to be his date."

"I did not ask you to be my date…although I'd be open to that as well," he said. He ignored Vic as she rolled her eyes. "I simply invited you to a gathering I will be holding at my place in a few weeks. In fact, Walt and Henry are invited as well. And I talked to Cady when I ran into her yesterday. She said she would go if the three of you went."

"What are you talking about Omar?" Walt asked.

"I have a group of clients I'm taking out in mid-October. We'll hold a dinner back at my place on the 25th, when we return, as we usually do, and cook up some of what we kill. Some of my repeat customers have been asking if I would make it more of a party, and extend invites to some of the locals."

"They are looking for you to secure some single ladies from the community."

"I'm sure they wouldn't complain if some single women were in the mix," Omar agreed.

"Well I just want to make it clear that if I come, I'm no one's date. Not yours. Not any of the men," Vic said.

Omar paused. "Agreed," he finally said.

"Actually, if I come, I want to bring my own date," Vic stated.

Walt sat up straight.

"Who?" Omar asked.

"That's none of your business. I'm just letting you know that if I come to your party, I want to be able to bring someone."

Omar looked over at Walt and Henry, who refrained from commenting.

"Ok. You can bring someone."

"Great. Walt? Henry? You going to Omar's shindig in October?" Vic asked, turning back towards the steps.

"Uh…" Walt stumbled through his response.

"We will definitely be there," Henry jumped in.

"Great! It's settled. Cady, Henry, Walt and I will be there on the 25th."

"As well as your date," Omar added.

"Right. As well as my date."

"Will your date be able to engage in conversation with my clients? There's bound to be plenty of talk about guns, and hunting, and various animals of interest."

"Hey Henry. What do you think? You've known my date a little longer than I have. Will he fit in?"

"I think he will be able to hold his own," Henry responded.

Vic smiled, looking at Walt before turning back towards Omar.

"I'm going to go get my laptop from inside. Bring up some of the ballistics reports I was mentioning." Vic said.

Omar watched her enter the cabin.

"I bet she doesn't bring someone to the party. I bet she was just testing me."

"You are underestimating Vic if you do not believe she will live up to her word," Henry said. He stood up, coffee mug in hand. "I am going to go get a refill," he said, his eyes connecting with Walt's. "Seize the moment," he said so only Walt could hear as he passed by.

Walt watched Henry leave, and then stood up and walked down the steps towards Omar.

"Um…Omar. I need to talk to you about something."

Omar looked over at Walt, eyebrow raised.

"Uh…when we were talking earlier about Vic seeing someone new…we were…uh…we were being serious. She…uh…" Walt tripped over his words, flustered. He looked down at his feet and kicked the dirt.

"Don't tell me she took up with that other deputy of yours. The previous sheriff's nephew."

"Branch? Uh…no. It's not Branch." Walt looked up at Omar and paused. He took a deep breath, and willed himself to continue.

"You see…the person Vic started seeing is…well, you see…it's me."

Omar's drew his eyebrows together, but didn't respond. Walt wondered if his words had really registered.

"Vic and I started seeing each other a short while back. I'm the one she'll be bringing to your party."

"You are already coming to the party. She is bringing someone in addition."

"No, she was referring to me."

Omar started laughing. "Seriously Walt, you don't need to make up these stories to try to get me to back down. If she wants to keep her new man a secret, that's fine. And if she doesn't want me flirting with her, she needs to stop looking so attractive."

"She's with me. I am not joking with you. Vic and I are…together."

Omar paused, looking directly at Walt. "You? I don't believe it."

Walt heard the screen door open, and turned to watch Vic approach them.

"Is this man bothering you?" Vic asked Walt, nodding towards Omar, but not looking at him.

"He doesn't believe that you could possibly be interested enough in me to date me."

"Omar, are you messing with my man?" she asked, still not looking over at Omar. "You see, I'm the protective type as well. And if you're giving my man a hard time, I'm here to tell you to knock it off."

Walt looked down at her, deciding to take Henry up on his suggestion and seize the opportunity before him. He pulled Vic to him, capturing her lips with his. After a moment, Vic wrapped her arm around his neck, returning the kiss in equal measure.

Vic finally pulled back, a grin on her face. She placed her hand on the empty mug in Walt's hand.

"I came out to ask if you wanted a refill," she said.

"Sure," Walt said, returning her smile. He reached his hand out, attempting to tuck the loose strands of her hair behind her ear, but losing the battle to the wind, which was pulling it in all different directions.

"Be right back," she whispered, and then headed back in.

Walt watched her leave, and then turned to find Omar staring at him.

After a pause, Omar smiled. "I'm still going to flirt with her."

"Just remember which one of us is Sheriff," Walt grinned in return. "Although, it's Vic you should be concerned about. She's very protective of what's hers, as you can see."


	20. Chapter 20

"You're not going to say anything? You're seriously going to just sit there and ignore me? You're mad at me, and at what just happened, but you're not actually going to talk to me about it?"

Walt continued to stare straight forward, his tightening grip on the steering wheel the only sign that what Vic had said had registered with him.

"Dammit Walt, you're blowing this out of proportion!" Vic exclaimed before turning her head towards her window and lapsing into silence.

Walt briefly turned towards Vic while she wasn't looking, taking in the tenseness of her shoulders. The upturn of her chin. When she stirred, he quickly turned his attention back to the road.

He wanted to tell her he was confused. He wanted to tell her he was equally mad at himself. He wanted to tell her that although he thought she was wrong…it WAS a big deal…he also thought she might be right.

Instead he said nothing.

Walt pulled the Bronco next to Vic's truck and into his usual spot in front of his cabin. They had driven into work together that morning. A first that neither had commented on.

Walt turned off the ignition but didn't make an immediate attempt to exit the vehicle. He stared at the middle console between their seats, his eyes on Vic's hand as she tightened it into a fist and then relaxed. And then tightened it again.

She had turned towards him, and was matching him silence for silence, in the hopes of drawing him out.

Walt felt the silence building, physically bearing down on him. Making things foggy. He needed some fresh air. Some time to think. Some perspective. He opened his door and stepped out, leaving Vic behind as he made his way to his front door.

He heard his truck's door open but didn't turn around.

"Seriously?" he heard Vic say, her exasperation evident.

Walt stepped inside his place, letting the screen door shut behind him, but keeping his front door open as he headed for the kitchen. He heard the door of the Bronco slam shut.

"You've got to be fuckin' kidding me, Walt," Vic shouted from outside. "You're making too much out of this."

He stood with his arms braced against the sink. He wanted to run out there and be able to face her. He wanted to take Vic into his arms and ask her to be patient with him. He wanted to be able to chalk it up to just poor timing and let it go.

Instead he did nothing.

After a moment he finally turned and opened the fridge, letting the cool air wash over him. When he felt a little calmer he grabbed two beers and made his way to his front door. He paused just inside the screen door, looking out at Vic.

She had tossed her backpack containing her laptop into her truck, removed her uniform shirt, and was now pulling a t-shirt over the thermal shirt she still had on.

Vic turned towards the cabin, staring straight at him. Or at least in his direction. He didn't know if she could actually see his eyes. If the screen door was casting his face in shadows from where she stood.

Her hand was on her hip, and the look on her face was pure no-nonsense Vic. After a moment she slowly began to make her way up his front steps, stopping at the top. There was no question now. She was definitely staring straight at him. Her eyes burning into his.

Walt stepped out, handing her a beer. Vic did not take it at first, continuing to look him straight in the eyes. She finally lifted her hand and grabbed the can. Their fingers brushed against each other, the jolt causing Walt to break eye contact and look down. But Vic had already removed her hand.

"Walt, I really want to talk about this."

Walt brought his eyes back up to Vic's.

"I know you're mad. But you can't retreat into yourself. Into your thoughts. I thought you and I were making progress. But all you're giving me is silence, and all I'm giving you are a string of curses. I feel like we've both taken a step backwards."

Silence. Unblinking. Unreadable to Vic.

"You've got to be shitting me, Walt. Talk to me. Tell me what you're thinking."

Still nothing from Walt.

"I want to be able to fix this. I know I started it, but it takes two to tango, and I didn't see you complaining. Or stopping it."

"I told you we needed to keep Walt and Vic separate from the sheriff and the deputy," Walt finally said. "That we had to keep our relationship out of the workplace. I told you this, and you agreed."

"I know," Vic responded. "I did agree. I mean I do agree. And for the most part I have kept my word. But I slipped. I didn't do it to intentionally go against your wishes. It just kind of happened. You were just irresistible in that moment, and I let my guard down. No one was in the office. Your door was closed. I wasn't thinking."

"That's just it, you weren't thinking. And when you're that close to me, then I stop thinking."

"I might have kissed you first, but you full-on answered. Again, the door was closed. Which most people honor and don't interrupt or barge in. How was I supposed to know that Lucian would choose that time to make an appearance? Choose that moment to disregard your privacy?"

"Lucian has never regarded my privacy. Or yours."

Vic paused to reflect on Walt's words. "That's true. But I think it was just bad timing. Five minutes earlier, Lucian and Ferg would have just cut into our conversation. Five minutes later…"

"We could have been…horizontal."

"Exactly. It could have been a whole lot worse. What they saw. We had barely started."

"We were far enough along that they were exposed to more of you than they should ever see."

"Lucian didn't see anything he hadn't already imagined about me before. He doesn't care, and he isn't going to tell anyone. He's probably cheering you on as we speak. And I don't think Ferg saw anything. Our clothes were, for the most part, still on. And he was a few steps behind Lucian. But regardless of what he did or didn't see, I don't think it is that big of a deal."

"Vic, it's a huge deal. I'm your boss. And Ferg's as well. I should not be…interacting…with you in that way inside the Sheriff's office. Regardless of who's there and regardless of whether someone is or isn't respecting my privacy."

"Don't tell me you haven't thought about doing that before. I've had plenty of moments where that couch of yours figured prominently in my thoughts. And your desk. And the Reading Room…" Vic paused as she saw a blush rise in Walt's cheeks.

"See, those thoughts have crossed your mind too. I just found myself in a moment where my thoughts couldn't be ignored, and I just acted. Or reacted," Vic said, as she stepped closer. She brought her hand up to his chest. Leaned in. Brought her lips up to meet his.

Walt grabbed her upper arm and stopped her.

"Don't do that Vic."

Vic was thrown by Walt's response, a startled look on her face.

"Do what?"

"Don't try to use sex to avoid dealing with the situation. You used to do that with Sean. Rely on sex, and not resolve your issues. I don't want you to do that with me."

Vic took a step back, a hurt look in her eyes.

Walt wanted to take his words back. He wanted to lift his hand to her face and smooth away the creases in her forehead. He wanted to find the words that would take away her pained expression.

Instead he looked away.

Vic steeled herself. Looked directly at Walt.

"If I can't fall back on my old ways, you can't either. You can't withdraw. You can't withhold. You need to share what you're thinking. What you're feeling. You need to let me in, not shut me out. You need to yell if you feel like yelling. Or swear. Cursing can do you wonders," Vic said, trying to get a smile out of Walt without success.

"Walt, you hold things in. All the time. You may think you are handling situations better than me, what with my outbursts, and my cursing, and my emotions. But it just builds up in you until it explodes. Until you're throwing fists with Branch on the side of the road. Tearing up your office. Throwing everything off Ferg's desk. Taking aim at Nighthorse's face." Walt looked into the distance, taking in her words, but not responding.

"This keeping quiet shit is not acceptable…because of what we have. What we are to each other. Or at least what I thought we mean to each other."

Walt looked back at her. Breathed in deeply, and then released. Stepped forward, and then around Vic to take a seat at the top of the steps. He placed his beer beside him.

"Lucian…" Walt started. "Lucian knew Martha. Even had a thing for her. He teases me about moving on and…getting some…with another woman. But I sometimes think he doesn't want me to. That he wants me to completely hold on to her and what we had. So I don't know how he is going to react to being surprised by us…of seeing me together with you. With someone other than Martha."

Vic stood above Walt, looking down at him. She took out her hand to lay it on his head, but froze. Pulled back. Instead she stepped on to the first step and sat down. Keeping a little distance between them. She put her beer down, and looked out in front of her.

"Walt, are you worried…about making room for me in your heart? About me replacing Martha? I don't want to replace Martha. I don't want or expect you to stop loving her. To push her out of your thoughts. Out of your memories."

Walt looked over at Vic. Took her completely in. He wanted to tell her that before he met her, he never thought he would let anyone else into his heart again. He wanted to tell her that once he met her he fought tooth and nail to keep her out of his heart. He wanted to tell her that once she broke through the wall he had built up he realized that there was room in his heart for both her and Martha. He wanted to tell her that how he felt for her was different from what he had ever felt for Martha and it terrified him and excited him.

Vic turned and looked at Walt. She picked up her beer and brought it to her lips, sensing a change in how Walt was looking at her as she did.

"What?" she asked.

"That's my beer," Walt said, flashing back to another time, another beer.

"I know." Vic smiled and brought the can to her lips again.

Walt smiled in return.

He wanted to tell her how the thought of her sharing his beer turned him on. He wanted to tell her that he wanted to share all of his beers with her for all of his days. He wanted to tell her that he wanted to share all of himself with her as well.

Instead he decided to start slowly.

"I love you," he said.

Silence. Unblinking. Unreadable to Walt.

And then a smile. Radiant. And then one from him in return. A promise of future shared beers. Of letting each other completely in.


	21. Chapter 21

Walt tried to read the emotions that played out on Vic's face. Her initial smile had warmed his heart. Now he watched as she bit her lip and raised an eyebrow. Her eyes becoming big and unfocused. He reached out, lightly put his hand on hers and smiled, bringing her attention back to him.

Keeping their eye contact, Vic got up. She stepped down and then stood in front of him, tapping his knees with hers and nudging them open. She then walked in between his legs, turned around and sat down on the porch step below the one he was seated on. She leaned back into him, and then reached up and grabbed his left hand in hers, pulling it in front of her.

She held his hand. Turned it over. Interlaced their fingers.

"Do you think every relationship has a window…a window during which it can start up? And if you miss that window, you miss the opportunity for the relationship to become something…something more…or even something at all?" she finally asked, breaking the silence.

She paused, but before Walt could respond, she continued.

"I found a cd of Sean's the other day. And as I held it in my hands, I was thinking of Sean's and my window. That maybe our window had shut, or maybe never really opened…but maybe we had ignored that truth. Forced it open. Tried to make our relationship something more, anyway."

She paused again.

"I started thinking in 'what ifs.' What if Sean and I hadn't married? What if we ended our relationship before he was transferred out here? What if we split up when it first became clear that our second chance here in Durant wasn't working? And the thought scared me…at how easily everything could have changed…how easily your and my window might never have opened. If I never came to Wyoming. Never even met you. Or worse, came here, but threw off the timing. Separated from Sean before we were ready…ready to become us. Ready to become something more."

"Today, when we were in your office…there was a moment where I just found myself looking at you and thinking how…grateful…I was that we found our window. That all the things that have happened to us, both good and bad, enabled us to find each other at the right time. And then you smiled at me, and I found you in that moment…irresistible. I've told you before, I can't seem to keep my hands off you. And when we're together, and alone, it seems to be becoming a habit that I just reach out. To connect."

She paused, once again playing with his hand.

"I am really sorry that I caused us to be in a compromising position in front of Lucian and Ferg. That I put you…us…in that position. That I didn't keep my promise…to keep our personal relationship separate from our working relationship. I wasn't trying to push you outside your comfort zone, or make our relationship more public. I was…I was just in the moment with you. I just wanted to be closer with you. Right then and there. Show you how grateful I was…for us."

"And I see why it's a big deal. I'm sorry that I said it wasn't. I promise that I will do my best and not let something like that happen again. And I will talk to Ferg. Apologize to him. For putting him in that position. I don't want him to feel uncomfortable around us or about coming into the office."

"And I need to talk to Lucian about knocking," Walt cut in.

Vic paused and then turned around to look at him. It had grown darker as evening started to settle in. Without the porch light on, Vic had to lean to in closer to see him clearly. A smile greeted her. His eyes asking her for forgiveness before his words.

"I'm sorry too, Vic. For making such a big deal of it, without stepping back and thinking it through."

He squeezed her hand, which was still in his.

"And I'm sorry for being so much in my head throughout it…instead of sharing what I was thinking. Instead of asking you for your perspective. I…I want to be more open with you. I'm trying. But I'll need your patience…as it will take time."

Vic stood up, this time nudging his knees closed. She sat down on his lap, straddling him.

"I'm an incredibly impatient person, Walt," she said as she leaned her forehead against his. "Except when it comes to you."

Their foreheads still touching, Vic placed her hand along his jaw. Her fingers traced his sideburn. Ran through his hair.

"Of course my patience may not seem apparent…what with the yelling…and the curse words I throw around. I'm working on those. So if we are both patient with each other, we'll be able to…" she trailed off as Walt slid a hand along her back, placed the other to the side of her face and brought his lips to hers.

His kiss was slow at first. Exploratory. Appreciative. Telling her that he was grateful too. As Vic wrapped her arms around him and scooted closer, the kiss grew more intense. He lowered the hand he had placed on her back to the bottom of her t-shirt, pulling it up and then taking a moment to pull the edges of her base layer out of her jeans.

"I don't remember you having this thermal shirt on earlier," Walk said, pulling back for a moment.

"When I left the room to…pull myself together…I put it on. I wanted to put on a little more coverage. Partly for your sake. Partly to get Lucian's and Ferg's thoughts off anything that may have been…revealed…when they first burst in on us."

"Well, now I'm thinking there's a little too much coverage," he said. Vic smiled against his lips as his fingers finally loosened her shirt and found her skin. She sat up, bringing her own hands to the bottom of her shirt, looking at him before proceeding. His hands came and surrounded hers taking the shirt edges from her. He thought about how cool the evening had grown. He thought about how close they were to the road out front. Before he could convince himself not to, he lifted both shirts up and over her head. He could just make out the smile on her face. The desire in her eyes. Next he brought his hands up her back to unhook her bra. After removing it and placing it on the pile with her shirts, he brought his hands back to her hips. Ran them up her sides. Along the curve of her breasts. Up her neck, settling on both sides of her face.

Face-to-face, they looked directly at each other. Walt felt Vic shiver slightly.

"You're cold," Walt said.

"It's not too bad," Vic said, not wanting them to stop.

Walt removed his hands from her face and leaned back a bit, pulling off his coat and placing it around her shoulders.

"Better?"

"Better."

His hands went inside the sides of his coat, and up her back, pulling her to him. As his lips claimed hers again he felt her hands in his hair. The sensation of her fingers along his scalp. He brought his lips to her earlobe. Along her jaw. Down her neck. As they arrived at her breasts, Walt felt Vic arch her back against his hands, her hips grinding in to his. When he arrived back at her lips they were both breathing heavily.

Vic brought her hands down to his belt line, pulling at the bottom of his shirt to loosen it. Struggling to free the shirt, she began working on his buckle.

"You cowboys sure like to keep things all buttoned up. Make a girl have to work for it."

"Us cowboys? How many other cowboys are you having your way with?" he said with a laugh.

Vic laughed in response.

When she got the buckle unlatched, Walt brought his hands down to help untuck his shirt. He then reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet and placed it next to him.

"You're one to talk," Walt said as he began to work on loosening her belt buckle.

"My belt is part of my uniform. Yours is part of you, cowboy."

Once he had the belt undone, Walt pulled her zipper down and then stopped.

"Yeah, I'm not going to make much more progress in our current position, given how tight your jeans are," Walt said.

Vic leaned in and kissed him and then stood up. She leaned down and unlaced her boots. Placing her hands on his shoulders, she lifted her feet, one at a time, enabling Walt to pull each boot off. Once she was standing in her stockinged feet she stepped between his legs and placed his hands at her hips.

"Ok, cowboy. You've been practicing removing my jeans for a while. Let's see how well you do," she said with a smile.

"Yeah, but never from a seated position," he said with a laugh.

"I think the skills are transferrable. I have confidence in your capabilities," she said as she brought her hands to his shoulders.

Walt finally managed to free one of her legs, and began working to pull the other pant leg down.

"This would be the perfect moment for a car to drive by," he commented, not looking up.

"I think you are well versed in public displays after this afternoon. I think it would be no big deal," Vic said, trying not to laugh.

Walt momentarily looked up at Vic.

"Too soon?" she asked?

Walt laughed, returning to the work at hand.

When he successfully removed her jeans he raised them triumphantly and then threw them onto the growing pile of clothes.

He looked back up at Vic, who was looking down at him, her face still somewhat visible in the near darkness. Without breaking eye contact, Walt brought his hands back up to her sides, hooking his fingers in each side of her panties and pulling them slowly down. She stepped out of them and then straddled him again.

Vic immediately brought her lips to his, and at the same time began to work on his jeans, making quick progress with the zipper and finding her way through the opening of his boxers.

Walt pulled back for a moment and picked up his wallet, removing a small package.

"Walt Longmire, ever the 'boy scout.' Always prepared," Vic said, laughter in her voice as she took the condom, opened it and put it on him.

Vic then grew quiet as she brought her eyes back to his. It had grown completely dark, the moonlight the only source of illumination. She brought her hand to his face, tracing his lips. His facial scruff. His jawline.

She leaned her forehead against his and paused.

"Are you too cold? Do you want to take this to the bedroom?" Walt asked against her ear.

"Just keep your arms around me and I'll be good."

Walt complied, moving his arms under his coat and wrapping them around her.

She raised herself up on her knees, lowered herself on to him and then covered his mouth with hers. They fell into a rhythm that escalated as their kissing became more vigorous. Their breathing more erratic. Their hands roving…everywhere. Bringing each other to the edge and over.

Afterwards, Vic put her arms around his shoulders, laying her head in the crook of his neck. Walt held his arms along her lower back. They sat in this embrace. Their skin flushed. Their breathing slowly returning to normal. Unmoving. Despite the chill. Despite the possibility of someone driving by.

"I love you too Walt," Vic whispered into his ear. "I'm glad we found our window."


	22. Chapter 22

Vic smiled to herself as she looked at the coffee maker over the rim of her mug. Looked particularly at the yellow post-it note stuck to the front. Stuck to the front by Walt earlier that morning. The yellow piece of paper warmed her heart for some reason. His message had been simple. Telling her that he went out to get some items for breakfast. That he would be back soon. Written in his familiar scrawl. She couldn't explain why she felt this way as she looked at the note, but she did.

After a moment she shook her head, pulling herself out of her thoughts. Making out a blue sky through the window, she decided to drink her coffee out on the porch. She pulled the post-it note off the coffee maker and stuck it to the side of her Eagles mug, taking both of them with her. She opened the front door, followed by the screen door, pausing to take in the morning. The beauty of Wyoming in the fall.

Movement to her left caught her attention, and she turned to see Cady, sitting on the porch glider, looking back at her. Both women were caught off guard, and were both momentarily, uncharacteristically speechless.

"Hi," Cady finally said, breaking the silence.

"Hi," Vic said looking down at her bare legs.

Cady smiled when Vic looked back up, causing Vic to smile in return.

"Do you have breakfast plans with your Dad?" Vic asked.

"Yep. I take it he didn't tell you?"

"Nope."

They both smiled again.

"I didn't know anyone was home. I knocked a little while ago. I didn't see any cars. I thought he probably stepped out to get some food, and decided to wait for him out here."

"Yeah, Walt's out picking up groceries," Vic said, holding up the post-it note as proof. "My truck's at my place. Walt picked me up last night. For our dinner date."

Cady raised her eyebrow.

"In fact, it was our first dinner date out," Vic added, unable to hide a smile.

"Wait…what? I thought you've been out before. I've seen you at the Busy Bee. The Red Pony. And clearly you've been…together…for a while," Cady said as she indicated Vic's dress attire.

Vic looked down at Walt's shirt she was wearing and blushed. "We've been out to lunch and dinner as co-workers and friends, but never on a date. And we've done things together like hiking, fishing, and horseback riding. We've had dinners in, and have even done a picnic or two. The most public thing we've done together was going to a gun range. But no one else was there. So last night was our first time out at a restaurant as a couple. Our first public date."

Cady smiled up at her.

"Where did he take you?"

"LuLu's. Up in Sheridan."

"Ah…that place is new. I heard it was good," Cady said. "So he took you 30 minutes out of town for your first public outing?"

Vic smiled. "Small steps. Progress of any sort is progress. I'm sure we'll be eating out in Durant in, maybe, two or three years."

Cady laughed.

Vic looked back down at what she was wearing and then back at Cady.

"I'm going to go in and change. I imagine my being in Walt's shirt is a little awkward for you as well."

Vic headed for the front door and then turned back towards Cady.

"I'll bring you a cup of coffee. How do you take it?"

"A small spoonful of sugar. A not so small splash of milk," Cady responded.

"Got it. Be right back."

Vic entered the cabin, placed her mug on the kitchen counter, and then made her way to the bedroom to change. Throwing on a pair of jeans and her Eagles hoodie, Vic returned to the kitchen, poured Cady's coffee, and then made her way back to the porch.

"I see you're not the black coffee purist that Walt is," Vic said with a smile as she handed the mug to Cady and took a seat next to her.

"Heck no."

"Good. Walt laughs at my coffee prep. He says I am having coffee with my milk and sugar, instead of the other way around."

Vic paused for a moment, looking over at Cady.

"Cady, I don't want you to be uncomfortable with me talking about Walt…your dad…about us. And…I want to know if you are still ok with us…being…together."

"I actually like hearing about the two of you. As I told you months ago as we sat on Dad's front steps waiting for him, my Dad's a very private person, and he doesn't tell me much. But he has actually opened up to me about you. I like hearing about the two of you…from both of you. Makes me feel more connected to him. And I love seeing him so happy."

Vic blushed.

"And as far as me being ok with you guys being in a relationship…I actually encouraged him to go out with you."

"So ultimately you're responsible for me being on his porch this morning wearing his shirt as my pajamas. Any awkwardness can all be blamed on you."

Cady laughed. "I would say that you are the number one reason the two of you are in a relationship. My Dad doesn't do anything he doesn't want to do. He doesn't do much of what he wants to do either. My suggestion that you two should be together wouldn't have had any impact on him if he wasn't already interested in you and considering it. There was something clearly extra special about you, about how my Dad felt about you, for him to actually take action on something he wanted. If there is anyone responsible…it's you…for being so darn fantastic in my Dad's eyes that he couldn't do anything BUT fall for you AND take action."

"You're right, Walt doesn't do something unless he wants to," Vic said. Cady took in the happy expression that momentarily crossed Vic's features before Vic looked away. "He did go out with Lizzie after my urging. Although he never seemed too comfortable with her when I saw them together, I figured it was something he wanted but just needed a push to do."

"I think his asking Lizzie out had a great deal to do with you being the one urging him to do so. A combination of you being one of the few people who can get him to do things, and maybe a little of him trying to get over you, since you weren't available."

Vic looked down at the coffee mug in her hands.

"His discomfort with Lizzie likely had a little to do with the fact that he seems to be uncomfortable around most women, especially those that blatantly flirt with him," Cady continued. "But his discomfort was probably particularly high when you were around…being around the two women in your life…the one you're with and the one you want to be with…can do that."

Vic blushed, still focused on her coffee cup.

"I apologize for monopolizing Walt's time these past months," Vic said, turning back towards Cady. "The beginning of a relationship can be very…all-consuming. I hope you haven't felt abandoned. That Walt and you have still had enough father-daughter time."

"I actually think I've seen him more these past few months than I have over the past few years," Cady said. "I think you are a big part of that, Vic. You didn't know him at the time, but when my Mom died…those first six months…my dad was lost. I came back to Durant to help him out, but he withdrew from everyone. I didn't know at the time that my Mom had been murdered, so I thought he was just sad. But he was depressed. And very angry. He blamed himself. And no one seemed to be able to shake him from these thoughts. These thoughts ate him up inside. And then you came around. And slowly, little by little, the father I knew started to return to us. It's so amazing how much progress my Dad has made recently. Your being together has caused him to open up. Connect with the world again. Connect more with me again."

"I think your connection with Walt has strengthened because of you," Vic said. "He adores you. You should hear the way he talks about you when you're not around. And the look he gets when he's discussing you. As you know, Walt often tries to mask how he feels about something or someone with his poker face, but when he talks about you, his pride, his love, is evident. He was torn in half when you were hit by that car and in the hospital. The pain was written all over his face. If this cabin was on fire, and you were inside, he would do everything in his power to get you out. You'd be the first thing he'd pull from the flames. Henry would be a close second. He'd probably just scoop the two of you up in his arms at the same time, you both mean so much to him."

Cady took Vic's words in. "He probably would grab his hat as well," she added.

Vic looked at her quizzically.

"If the cabin was on fire, he'd save his hat as well," Cady clarified.

Vic laughed. "I think you're right. There's not much Walt needs, but that hat is pretty important to him. In fact, if he wasn't wearing his coat, belt and boots, which is hard to imagine, but if he wasn't and they were nearby, I think he'd grab them all."

Cady laughed and nodded her head in agreement.

"If he'd picked up the 'usual' from the Busy Bee and left it inside, he might grab that on his way out, too" Cady added with glee.

"No doubt. He loves his 'usual," Vic agreed. She paused for a moment. "I think he would grab his father's pocket watch," she said.

Cady nodded. "And if he could manage it, he'd rescue my grandmother's piano."

Vic nodded. "And your mom's wedding ring."

Cady looked over at Vic, her smile slipping, her eyes growing soft.

"Yeah, I think he would."

They both sat silently for a moment, each looking out at the view before them.

"I can just picture it. He runs in to get you and Henry. He has you take your mom's ring. He has Henry take the pocket watch. He jams his hat on his head, grabs his 'usual' to-go box, and then has all three of you try to get the piano out amidst the flames."

Cady turned towards Vic.

"He'd rescue you as well. Right up there with me and Henry," she said.

Vic looked back at Cady and smiled, their eyes connecting. After a moment they were interrupted by the sound of Walt's truck pulling up front.

"Hey Dad," Cady greeted Walt as he exited the Bronco.

"Hi, Punk," he responded.

"Forget about our breakfast?" she asked.

"Nope. Just picking up a few more ingredients," he said as he made his way up the steps and towards them on the bench.

Vic stood up. "You can either give me a ride home, or I can take your truck, and Cady can drop you off to pick it up when you're done."

"Nonsense," Cady said. "You're staying for breakfast. Right Dad?"

Walt looked from his daughter to Vic.

"Absolutely. I was planning on it. I picked up some chocolate chips for your pancakes, since I know you love the extra sweetness."

Vic looked between the two and then smiled.

"Ok. But I'm going to go take a shower. I'll take the groceries in," she said, opening her arms to Walt.

Walt handed over the bag, and then opened the screen door.

After Vic stepped in, she turned and grabbed Walt's shirt, pulling him in after her.

"Are you sure you're ok with me staying?" she asked, her grip on his shirt holding him close.

He smiled, nodded, and then leaned in to kiss her. After he released her lips, Vic released her hold on him.

"Stay," was all he said, his eyes imploring her further. His look and softly spoken word tugged at her heart, and she nodded in return.

"I'll be out of the shower soon, to help out with breakfast prep," she said as she entered the kitchen, placed a few items from the grocery bag in the fridge, and left the rest on the counter.

"Take your time," Walt said, as she headed to the bathroom. "I'm going to catch up a bit with Cady and then the two of us will handle breakfast."

Vic turned, tilted her head, smiled and then turned again.

Walt smiled at her receding back, and then stepped back outside.

He walked over to the porch glider, sat down next to Cady, and then placed his arm around her shoulders.

The two sat silently for a moment, taking in the sunshine and crisp autumn air.

"You and Henry did a great job with this porch glider, Dad."

Walt smiled.

"I bet Vic loved it," she added.

Walt looked down at Cady.

"Henry told me. That it was a birthday gift for her."

Walt paused. "She did. Does. Love it."

"You seem more at peace than I've seen you be in a long time, Dad."

Walt nodded.

"And I think you are trying to underplay it right now. But I think you're really happy. And that makes me happy."

Walt looked down at her again, and then squeezed her shoulder.

"I am happy, Punk. You make me really happy."

"I think your happiness is all because of you. Because of your willingness to open up. To let me in. And Henry in. And especially Vic in."

Walt looked her in the eye.

"I'm glad you and Vic are doing so well," Cady said. "I won't say 'I told you so,"…but I told you that you needed someone like Vic…and I was right."

"Sounds like you're saying 'I told you so," he said with a smile. "But I'll let that go…because you were right. Thanks for urging me to…go after what I wanted."

"You too have gotten pretty serious, haven't you?" she asked.

Walt nodded.

"What are your intentions, young man?" Cady asked, jokingly.

Walt paused as he looked out before him.

"I'm going to ask Vic to marry me," he said, bringing his focus back to Cady.

Cady paused, speechless for the second time that morning.

"Wow! That's…," Cady paused as she looked directly at Walt. Took his hand in hers. "That's amazing Dad. Have you asked her already?"

"No, she's not ready yet. She's still adjusting to not being married to Sean."

"She seems pretty smitten with you Dad. And comfortable with the two of you being the two of you. If she's not ready yet, I don't think it will take her long to be."

Walt squeezed Cady's shoulder again.

"I hope so, Punk. But I'll give her all the time she needs."

"You could just leave her some post-it notes. Warm her up to the prospect of your future together before you pop the big question. Like saying you're picking up a few 'grocery items' and then coming back with chocolate chips" Cady said with a laugh, recalling the post-it Vic had shown her earlier.

"I have found post-it notes to be an excellent communication tool," Walt said, as he smiled back at her. "And speaking of chocolate chips, let's go in and make some pancakes."

"And speaking of chocolate chips…are the chocolate chips just for Vic, or can I get in on that action?" Cady asked.

"I give chocolate chips to all the women I love. I am also well versed in both of your appetites, so I picked up an extra big bag."

Cady laughed as they made their way into the cabin.


	23. Chapter 23

**Thanks for your positive feedback, story re-reads, requests for the next chapter…and your patience! I've been on vacation this week, and did not have my laptop with me. We got back late last night, so I wasn't able to get around to writing this chapter until today.**

* * *

Walt lifted his head as Vic pulled her truck in front of the cabin. He watched as she cut the ignition and stepped out. Her progress slow. Her posture slightly stooped.

"You look…tired," Walt said as she made her way up the steps. When she reached the porch she turned to the right to face him and stopped, removing her aviators and hanging them from the collar of her shirt. Walt saw the tiredness in her eyes. The pallor of her skin.

"Rough night out with the girls?" he asked.

"Good night. Rough morning."

Vic made her way over to the porch glider where Walt was seated, lowering herself to sit next to him. She swiveled to the right, swung her legs over the arm rest and lay back, resting her head on Walt's lap. Walt glanced down at the page he had been reading to confirm his spot, and then closed the book and placed it on the table next to the bench. He looked down at Vic. At her closed eyes. At her hair, splayed across his thighs.

"Lauren drink you under the table?" Walt asked as he brought his hand to Vic forehead and then ran his fingers through her hair.

"That girl can drink. I thought my tolerance was pretty good, but I always forget that wine is not my thing."

The rumble of Walt's laughter jarred her slightly, causing her to wince.

"Sorry," Walt said. "Lauren's been building up that tolerance for years. I was a little worried about her influence on Cady in high school, but they both had good heads on their shoulders."

"She was pretty impressive in how much she could consume, and seemed relatively unfazed by it. Not sure how much she drank…or how much I drank, for that matter. She kept topping off all of our glasses throughout the evening. Wine has a way of making me think it hasn't affected me much while I'm drinking it, and then punching me in the gut…or the head in this case…the next morning."

"Need any Tylenol or Advil?" Walt asked, as he gently massaged her forehead.

"No, I took some earlier this morning. My migraine is actually mostly gone…just a lingering buzz at the fringes."

"What did you all do with your evening of wine-fueled fun?" Walt asked.

"The four of us hung out at Cady's. Her co-worker friend, Maggie, is a terrific cook. Cady, Lauren and I did the prep, and Maggie worked her magic and made this fantastic meal. I can still remember it in all its…deliciousness…even in my morning haze."

"How'd you get home?"

"Lauren called her husband. He graciously agreed to drive all of us home. I'm guessing he's played late-night chauffer a few times over the years."

Walt paused his hand. "You could have called me for a ride," he said.

Vic opened her eyes. Looked up at Walt.

"I didn't want to interrupt your boys' day out. Plus…" she trailed off, closing her eyes again.

"Plus?" Walt prodded.

"I didn't want to make things…awkward," she said, looking up and seeing Walt's quizzical gaze. "I knew Lauren and Cady grew up together. I didn't know if you…and Cady…would be comfortable with you picking up your…girlfriend…in front of Cady's friends. Especially one that hung out in your home as a kid and knew you as Cady's dad."

Walt looked silently out before him, but started back up with his ministrations to her head.

"Are you ok with me becoming…friends…with Cady?" Vic asked quietly.

Walt looked back down at Vic.

"I like that the two of you have become closer," Walt said, smiling down at her. "I hoped that she would more than approve of you. More than just…get along with you. I think it is a good thing…that you are friends."

He ran his fingers along Vic's temple, her eyes closing at his soothing touch. He rubbed her head for a few minutes, feeling the tension in her forehead lessen.

"She hasn't liked all my girlfriends?"

"All your girlfriends? What other girlfriends?" Vic said with a laugh.

"Just seeing if you were listening," Walt said, matching her laughter.

"But in all honesty, Cady is one of the reasons I haven't really dated these past few years…in addition to me dealing with my grief…guilt…bitterness, as well as…" Walt paused for a moment. Vic opened one of her eyes at his hesitation. "When those feelings lessoned a bit, and my friends were encouraging me to…get back out there…Cady, her potential reaction…and the potential impact my actions could have on her, were always at the back of my mind."

Vic opened her other eye and watched Walt intently.

"Cady and Martha had been so close. I didn't want her to think I was replacing her mother. I didn't want to thrust…just anyone…upon her. It meant I wanted to be…needed to be…selective."

He paused for a moment.

"I'm more than glad that you two are friends. And it wouldn't be awkward if I came to pick you up. Not for me. Not for Cady."

Vic smiled up at Walt, their eyes connecting. Walt paused a moment before speaking again.

"There was another reason I didn't date much these past few years," he said.

"Yeah?"

"The women that my friends were encouraging me to ask out weren't who I wanted. I tried going out with one of them…at a certain friend's instance," he said, nudging her. "But all it did was make it harder to deny what I wanted…who I wanted." Walt saw how intensely Vic looked up at him, but he continued on.

"I kept identifying everything that made the two of you different the entire time I was seeing Lizzie. And then denying that the reason I kept comparing her to you was due to my feelings for you."

Vic's eyes grew big for a moment. Her forehead creased. And then relaxed.

"I was so jealous of Lizzie. And of what I couldn't have," Vic admitted. "I know you can mask your feelings to most people, but I can't hide them…from practically anyone. I was telling myself that I was just being protective of you, but Lizzie clearly could read my feelings for you. She was constantly staking her claim whenever the two of us crossed paths. Looking back, I can't blame her."

"I know something about jealousy. Just because I don't broadcast my feelings doesn't mean I wasn't jealous…of Sean…of Gorski…of anyone I saw you flirt with on our cases as you tried to encourage them to open up…wishing you could turn that flirtatious smile my way for just a moment."

Vic paused. Reached up. Took Walt's hand in hers.

"Flirting with you would have been a bad idea. It would have made it harder for me…maybe both of us…to deal with a possibility that wasn't possible to have…at the time. And I've seen you respond to other women's flirting. I think my flirting would have pushed you away. It would have affected our friendship. Our partnership. I didn't want to risk that."

Walt nodded. "You're probably right."

"And now, I get to flirt with you whenever I want," Vic said, standing up. "Make you blush. So worth the wait."

Walt looked up at her, his grin broadening in response to hers.

"I'm going to get a glass of water. Want one?" Vic asked.

"Sure."

Vic turned on her heels and made her way into the cabin, leaving the front door open as she entered. Walt listened to her boots making contact on the floorboards. The sound of a kitchen cabinet door closing. Her footsteps returning and then pausing.

"Holy shit. Walt…what the…?" Vic called out, her voice carrying in the morning calm. Walt turned his head, and then smiled in anticipation.

The screen door opened, and Vic popped around the corner.

"Anything special happen yesterday…during…or after, your day of fishing with Henry and Ferg?"

"Hmm. Nothing specific's coming to mind."

"Really? No major decisions made? No actions taken in response to those decisions?"

"Oh, I picked up some groceries on the way home. Decided to try a new brand of coffee that Cady suggested. Are you referring to that?"

"Nope."

"And Ferg leant me a few mystery novels he recommended. Been reading one this morning. Is that what you were wondering…saw the pile of books on the coffee table?"

"Nope."

"Then nothing out of the ordinary…"

"So that item hanging on your wall wasn't your decision…and just appeared sometime in the last two days…all on its own?" she asked, lifting an eyebrow and pursing her lips.

"Oh that. Hmm. Yeah, I guess that happened yesterday," Walt said with a smile.

"Was it Ferg or Henry who convinced you to get that?"

"Actually, neither. I'd been thinking about making the purchase for a while. All on my own. Ferg and Henry just helped me pull the trigger. Made a few recommendations on what specifically to purchase when I asked for their thoughts. And then helped me pick it out and then put it up."

"Really? You've been thinking of getting a TV for a while?" Vic asked as she made her way back towards the porch glider, and took a seat next to Walt, passing a glass of water to him.

"Yep."

"I haven't heard you talk about a TV. Or about anything you would watch on TV."

"We had a couple TVs back at the old house. Martha and Cady each had their shows. Henry would come over to watch football games. USC. Broncos vs. Chargers. The Super Bowl."

Walt looked out into the distance. Memories of earlier days flitting across his features.

"After Martha passed…and I moved into the cabin. I just didn't have the desire to bring a TV with me. I thought it would distract me from my pain, which I would not let myself do. And then I kind of got out of the habit. But in the spirit of rebuilding my home, and being more open…to others' company…I've been thinking about getting a new TV. Encouraging Cady to hang out. Inviting Henry…and you…over to watch a game. And with the Broncos and Chargers playing this Thursday night, I decided the timing was right."

He reached over and grabbed her hand.

"Plus, I know you have your shows. That you don't get to watch when you are at my place. I've watched a few with you when we've been at your house…and I've seen how many unwatched episodes you have recorded…since you've been spending a fair amount of time over here lately. Now we can watch your motorcycle show…your lawyer show…your cop show…your zombie show…whenever you want."

"Walt, don't feel like you need to watch what I watch…or buy a TV so I can watch the shows here. I don't need a TV to have a good time at your place. To want to be with you at your place."

"I know. But I want you to feel comfortable here. For you to feel that you are not taking a break from your life when you come over. And I don't mind watching what you watch. I've liked everything we've watched together so far. And as I watch more episodes and I get to understand the plotlines and characters better I know I will enjoy them even more."

Vic looked at him and then lowered her eyes to the glass of water in her hands.

"Ok. But you do realize you need to have cable or a dish installed to actually get the channels."

"Yep. Henry used one of his connections, and someone is coming over tomorrow to install and set up a satellite dish."

"And I think you need internet as well."

"I think I might have been able to use the phone line, but I'm also having wireless internet installed this week."

"Seriously?"

"Yep."

"Other than the receiver you're installing, you don't have any other devices that require an internet connection. No computer. No smartphone. No tablet."

"I know. But you do. And Henry. And Cady. I think she went a little crazy staying at my place when she was recovering from her injuries last year. I want my visitors to feel welcome and at home."

"The next thing you are going to tell me is that you picked up a cell phone as well," Vic said with a laugh.

"Only so much change at once, Vic," Walt said with a smile. "Plus, why do I need one when you have one?"

"There are times when we aren't together. When…people…need to reach you."

"They've been finding me for years, despite me not having a mobile phone. And they don't need to find me every moment of every day. It can be good to be…untethered…from time to time."

"I feel a bit at a loss when I don't have my phone with me. And I've been in…sticky situations without a phone. Not a good thing, Walt. A phone can put…everyone's…mind at ease."

Walt looked at her closely.

"I'll think about it."

Vic squeezed his hand. Stared at him openly from her side of the bench.

"What?" he asked, squirming a bit under her gaze.

"I'm trying to determine how many of Cady's friends had crushes on you back in high school. Your quiet strength would have been very crush-worthy. The mysterious cowboy type is very appealing to us girls."

Walt shook his head in disagreement.

"You probably were a really good listener as well. Gave her friends your complete attention. Probably treated them as adults, instead of dismissing them as only kids. Very attractive quality."

"Except for Cady. I didn't want her to grow up. Or get hurt. Or have her heart broken. So I was overprotective, treating her as a little girl for a little too long. She got so frustrated with me sometimes."

"You were just looking out for her. She knows it. Or at least she knows it now."

Walt smiled into his glass of water.

"I haven't asked you how your fishing went. Did you catch anything? Don't men like to brag about the size of the fish they caught?"

"I was actually going to tell you all about it over dinner tonight. Brought the phone with me, when I first came out on the porch this morning, to call you and ask if you wanted to go out this evening," he said, pointing to the cordless phone on the table beside him. "I know the Eagles are off this week, but the Broncos play at 6:30. And when Henry has freshly caught fish, he cooks them up special at the Pony. He'd give Cady's friend Maggie a run for her money with how delicious his fish dishes are."

Vic reached out and took the glass of water from Walt's hands, bringing it to her lips for a long gulp before handing it back to him.

"I need to hydrate if I'm going to rally," she told him as he looked at her. "Broncos football. Henry's cooking. Stories about how big the fish you caught were. A date night out…in Durant. With a cowboy who always turns a few heads. A lot for a girl to look forward to."

Walt cheeks reddened.

"See. I told you I like to make you blush," Vic said victoriously.

Vic swung her legs around, and lay her head on his lap again.

"But we have several hours before we need to leave. Continue with the magic your hands are having on my head."


	24. Chapter 24

**Oops…made a mistake in the two chapters I mentioned Walt and Henry's football rivalry. Should be Broncos vs. Chiefs, so changing the Chargers to the Chiefs for this chapter.**

* * *

Walt and Henry sat in the fading light, side-by-side, beers in hand. A brisk breeze had picked up, but both men were defying the cool weather, and honoring their teams, by not wearing coats. The sweatshirt that Walt wore displayed the Broncos logo. The cuffs frayed. The material soft with wear. Henry's Chiefs jersey was in good condition despite its age.

"I remember a few years back, you did not even have this front porch, let alone these steps."

"Yep," Walt agreed as he raised his Rainier to his lips.

Henry looked over at Walt. "Now your cabin feels like a home."

"I can take credit for the front steps. All other progress is yours, my friend. Your ambushes have been successful over the years."

"Ambush is an exaggeration."

"Ambush is an extremely accurate word for your…approach…to getting work done on my place," Walt said, taking another sip.

"Ambush sounds hostile."

"Apparently I needed a little hostility. Your gentle prodding wasn't working."

"That is true."

Henry looked over at Walt again, studying his profile.

"What?" Walt asked, continuing to look out before him.

"Just checking to see what else has changed…other than your home."

Walt turned his head to peer over at Henry, saying nothing.

"Trimmed sideburns. Clean-shaven chin. A shirt that doesn't look like you slept in it and woke up on your couch. Your Vic seems to have ambushed your grooming much as I have your house."

"She not MY Vic. And she hasn't ambushed me."

"You call my ambushes hostile, but they came out of brotherly love. They may have been more overt and direct than Vic's approach, but came from the same place, and had similar results. We have both worked on getting your house, and you, in order."

Walt, again, looked over at Henry.

"I wouldn't say Vic has meddled. Or been in cahoots with my daughter. Or ambushed me in any way."

"And yet, you have changed. And you cannot disagree that your changes have had nothing to do with her. I am here to watch a football game on a TV at your place, something I would never have expected to do on your previous trajectory. Prior to you letting Vic in…letting her be YOUR Vic."

"She's not MY Vic. And she has never asked me to change. Never asked me to get my house, or myself, in order."

"But you agree that you have changed?"

Walt looked at Henry for a moment and then turned his head, once again bringing the beer to his lips.

"Your silence speaks volumes, my friend," Henry said. "I am glad that you recognize that you have let Vic in, and changed for her. Or because of her. Or along with her."

Walt rested the lower part of his arms on his thighs. His shoulders slightly hunched. At the sound of tires on gravel, both men looked to the right, spotting Vic's truck as it came into sight.

"I think your Vic is worth changing for," Henry said as they followed Vic's truck as it pulled up front and came to a stop. "And you might want to start thinking of adding an addition on to this place sometime in the near future."

At his words, Walt turned towards Henry.

"I am only gently prodding," Henry said. "My guess is that Vic has ambushed your heart, and it is only a matter of time before you make the decision, to expand your cabin, all on your own."

Walt wasn't even aware that Vic had reached the bottom of the steps until her voice cut through his thoughts. Thoughts about a future within reach. A future that Henry could clearly see.

"Am I interrupting your pre-game bonding? You both seem very at ease with each other right now. I thought this was a big rivalry between you two. Shouldn't there be some trash talking going on?"

"We needed your assistance getting things going. Your vocabulary is more…expansive…than ours," Henry said with a smile.

"Hell yeah!" she agreed. "Although I'm not taking sides, so I'm not sure I can really stir things up for you. Other than saying 'Go Eagles!' But they're not even playing."

Once again their attention was diverted by the sound of an approaching car. Cady pulled up in her jeep. As she exited the car, balancing a large box and a grocery bag in her arms, Vic stepped up to help.

"What's all this?" Vic asked as she took the box from Cady.

"Game-watching essentials. Snacks and dessert. Henry likely brought food from the Pony, insisting we eat a full meal. And Dad probably thinks we could survive on beer. But I think the best way to watch a game, especially the twice annual Broncos vs. Chiefs showdown, is by eating an assortment of salty, tasty snacks and deliciously sweet treats."

"I like your thinking," Vic said with a smile. "And I see you've taken sides," she added, acknowledging Cady's Broncos hoody.

"Oh, that reminds me," Cady said as she placed the box at the foot of the steps, turned back towards her car and opened the driver side door. She reached in to the interior of the vehicle, pulling out a bag.

"Guess what I found?" she asked, turning towards Walt and Henry, who had been silently taking in the two women before them.

Their quizzical looks both changed as they recognized the items Cady removed from the bag.

"What are those?" Vic asked, realizing she was the only one who didn't know what was being discussed.

"Bragging rights," Cady said.

She held up two t-shirts, one displaying the Broncos logo and one displaying the Chiefs.

Vic looked at the shirts in confusion.

"Denver wins, Henry has to wear the Broncos shirt all day on the next football Sunday." Cady flipped the Broncos t-shirt around so that Vic could see 'Standing Bear' spelled out across the back.

"And if Kansas City wins, Dad has to wear the Chiefs shirt all day. She flipped it around to show Vic the name 'Longmire' across its back. "Long standing tradition that's kind of been on hold these past few years, but I'm starting it back up again."

She reached back into the bag.

"And…I even have a shirt for you," she said as she winked at Walt and then handed a t-shirt over to Vic. "You have to wear yours today."

Vic lifted the 'Broncos vs. Chiefs' t-shirt and smiled when she saw 'Moretti' spelled out along the back.

"And it's got to go over that Eagles shirt you're wearing. If you're not going to take sides, you have to at least acknowledge which teams are playing."

"How long has watching the Broncos vs. Chiefs game been a tradition for you?" Vic asked as she placed the grocery bag on the steps and pulled the t-shirt on over her head.

Walt and Henry looked at each other and smiled.

"The Dallas Texans became the Kansas City Chiefs the year we were born, so the rivalry started even before we knew each other. But this bonding ritual started soon after we became friends. We are going on 40 years of rivalry, I would say," Henry concluded.

"And how long have you been in the mix?" Vic asked Cady.

"Since I was still in the womb, I would guess," Cady said with a smile, looking at Walt.

"Sounds about right," he agreed, smiling back at her.

"I missed a few games during law school and my time in Philadelphia, but fell easily back into the swing of things upon my return. We've been watching this game at the Pony in recent years, but we're back to Dad hosting the viewing party."

She turned to Vic, an excited look on her face.

"This is your first time watching these two teams play? I mean watching the game with Dad and Henry, right?"

Vic hesitantly nodded in agreement, looking momentarily at Walt, unsure what revealing this fact could result in.

"Have you informed Vic of the rules of the road for game watching? Taken her through the rights of passage to joining this club?" Cady asked, turning back towards the men.

"We were waiting for your arrival," Henry responded, a mischievous gleam in his eyes.

"Why do I feel like I'm about to be tested? This feels a lot like the Walt and Henry BFF assessment. Or an extension of it," Vic said.

"You catch on quickly," Henry said, a smile escaping.

"Let me guess. The first step is to go fetch beer from the fridge?"

"You remember! You're right, she does catch on quickly," Walt said as he joined in on the fun.

"Before you go in, I have a quiz question for you. Which team won one of the greatest games in history on October 17, 1994, and who were the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history squaring off that day?" Henry asked.

"Since you are asking, I'm guessing the Chiefs won..." she said. "But barely," she added, looking over at Walt. "And…I'll go with…Elway for the Broncos and…Joe Montana for the Chiefs. I believe 1994 was one of the two years he played with the Chiefs after all those years with the 49ers."

"She is a keeper, Walt," Henry said, his face beaming. "Now, where are those beers?"

"So answering that question correctly doesn't get me out of fetching the beer?" Vic asked, laughing out loud.

"Answering correctly enables you to stay and watch the game with us," Cady replied, trying to keep a straight expression on her face.

"The three of you are thick as thieves. Have you ever let anyone else join in on this tradition before?"

There was a silent pause before Cady answered. "Just Mom, I guess."

Henry nodded, followed shortly by Walt.

"Well, I'm honored to be let in to the inner circle," Vic said, looking directly at Walt as she began to make her way up the stairs. Walt smiled up at her as she passed, his hand momentarily brushing hers.

"Holy shit…what is this wonderful smell, Henry?" Vic called out as she entered the cabin.

"Why do you immediately assume that Henry is responsible for the food making that wonderful smell?" Walt asked.

Vic appeared at the screen door, an incredulous look on her face as she tilted her head, raised an eyebrow and looked at Walt.

Cady let out a laugh.

"You know my Dad too well," she said.

"Or Henry's cooking too well," Walt offered. "Have you been eating at Henry's behind my back? You seem a little too familiar with his work."

"I have been known to frequent his establishment…especially during Eagles and Phillies games," Vic said with a smile before turning back towards the kitchen. "I'm thinking these may be his famous game-day wings."

Cady eyes widened. "I am suddenly very hungry for a meal. We'll save the snacks for later. Plus, I need to bring Vic up-to-speed on our game-watching rules, so I better head in," Cady said as she picked up the grocery bag and box, and followed Vic in.

"Yep, absolutely too familiar," Walt said with a knowing nod towards Henry. "She came to that conclusion regarding your wings being the source of the smell way too quickly. You don't have your sights on my Vic, do you? Trying to win her heart through her stomach? Are there two rivalries I need to keep an eye on today?"

"Hmm…suddenly you are agreeing with me. That she is YOUR Vic. Interesting," Henry said as he clapped Walt on the shoulder. They both smiled and then rose, making their way into the cabin.

XX

Walt heard the screen door open, and recognized Vic, despite her face being hidden in shadow.

"Why are you standing out here without the light on?" Vic asked, stepping outside and finding Walt leaning against the outer wall of the cabin, next to the front door.

"Just…doing some thinking. Wasn't planning on being out here long, so didn't bother with the light."

"I didn't know where you had gone to while I was in the bathroom. But when I didn't see you in the kitchen, I assumed you had come out here."

"Yep," Walt said, nodding although he knew she couldn't see.

"Up for sharing what's on your mind?" Vic asked. Walt didn't respond. "Or I can go in if you need some more time alone."

Walt turned towards Vic, the light from the house providing an outline of her body. He reached out until he found her elbow, and then tugged her arm, bringing her in front of him. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her so that her back was flush with his chest. Resting his chin on her head, he closed his eyes for a moment, savoring the feel of her in his arms. Their closeness. The intimacy of the moment.

They stood in silence, hearing the half-time show on TV and Cady and Henry's laughter through the open door.

"This is the first time you've had a group of people at your cabin, isn't it? Not counting me and Cady being here together by chance, or the home improvement gathering that Henry initiated. This is the first time you've hosted a group you invited over."

She felt Walt nod in agreement.

"It's a big deal, Walt. We've been treating your TV purchase as the big deal, but this…having people over…this is the big deal," squeezing his hands.

They stood together in comfortable silence again.

"I've been thinking about some of the Broncos vs. Chiefs games we've watched together over the years," Walt finally said.

Vic turned her head slightly towards him.

"One year Cady insisted she watch the game even though she was miserable, covered in chicken pox."

Vic could feel the rumble in his chest as he laughed at the memory.

"Another year Henry's truck broke down, and he walked all the way to our place, refusing to miss the game."

Walt smiled into Vic's hair at the thought of Henry's frustration mixed with his determination.

"Another year we all watched together in Martha's hospital room. Her last game with us."

Vic grabbed Walt's hand, threading her fingers with his.

"And now I have this year to add to the memories," he said, squeezing her tightly for a moment and then releasing. "For someone not invested in either team, you sure are invested in the game."

"I love a good game, no matter who's playing," Vic responded.

Walt lowered his arms, causing Vic to turn towards him. She could make out the right side of his face, as faint light from inside the house outlined his jaw.

Walt bent down, resting his forehead against hers. Placing both hand at the side of her face. Slowly he brought his lips to hers. His kiss gentle. His pressure light. When Vic stepped in to him he increased the pressure of his lips on hers, threading his fingers in her hair. Vic brought her hands up, circling his shoulders and upper back to pull him closer. Their kiss grew more intense. Their tongues more probing. Their hands exploring along the top of their clothes and any exposed skin they encountered.

"Hey Dad. Vic. Game's back on."

The sound of Cady's voice cut through the night, bringing Walt and Vic to a halt. Vic started to pull back, but Walt held her close, bringing her head to rest at the corner where his neck met his shoulder. He held her in a tight embrace. Taking a moment for the two of them to just…be.

"Did you really come out here to think, or was your plan to lure me out here so you could do…that?" Vic whispered huskily.

"Just completing the memory of your first game-watching experience. I think I'll remember the half-time show well after the details of the actual game fade," he whispered back.

"I just realized I love a good half-time show even better than a good game. And you know how much I love football, so that's saying a lot," Vic said, smiling into his neck.

"Wait until you experience the post-game show," Walt said, his voice gravelly in her ear.

"Is that a 40-year tradition as well?"

"Nope. Brand new one. Going down in the history books," he replied.

"Do I need to wear my new t-shirt during that part of the evening?"

"As I said, new tradition. Your shirt, or really any of your clothes, are completely optional. Although I do like the thought of you wearing my sweatshirt. We'll just have to make a game-day decision when the time comes."


End file.
